


The StarkQuill Bunch

by jdrush



Series: The StarkQuill Bunch [3]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A little bit of angst, Boykisses, But mostly humour, Dancing, F/M, Friendship, Humour, Iron Dad, M/M, Romance, So many boykisses, Spidey son, space boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 02:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13514631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdrush/pseuds/jdrush
Summary: The members of Team Cap return from their mission and meet The Guardians for the first time.  It goes pretty much as you’d expect.  Takes place two weeks after ‘Units From Heaven’ and ‘Close Encounters’.





	The StarkQuill Bunch

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR’S NOTES: Many heartfelt thanks to my two great friends and beta readers, Michele and John. I couldn’t have done this without you. (more notes at end of story)

TITLE: The StarkQuill Bunch

AUTHOR: J.D. Rush

RATING: R for bad language, sexual innuendo, and boykisses.  So many boykisses.

WARNING: Not overly Team Cap friendly, but then you probably guessed that.  And Hawkeye is kind of a dick.  I don’t know how that happened--I actually like him.

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Marvel, Disney, Sony, FOX, and anyone else who can sue me.  I’m just taking them out for a spin. ‘The Brady Bunch’ theme written by Sherwood Schwartz and Frank De Vol. I’m so very sorry.

 

Here’s the story, of sexy Tony,

Who was living with some very special bros.

All of them were brave and strong, superheroes,

The youngest one spun webs.

 

Here’s the story, of a man named Star-Lord,

Who was busy with some heroes of his own.

They saved the stars, and each other,

Yet they had no home.

 

’Til one day when Tony met this fellow,

And they knew it was much more than a hunch.

That this group could somehow form a family,

That’s the way they all became the StarkQuill bunch.

 

 

 

“FRIDAY, turn down the lights.”

 

Silently, the overhead lamps dimmed, leaving the quiet corner of the main lounge to be lit only by the two tapered candles sitting on the cloth-covered table. Tony checked to make sure the place settings were right, moving a fork that wasn’t actually out of place and rearranging a few of the flowers in the centerpiece, then frowned. “This isn’t right,” he muttered to himself. “Something’s missing. . . ”

 

“Something like this, Boss?” FRIDAY asked, as the opening strains of Barry White’s, ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love’ started filling the air.

 

Tony smiled. His girl was always on the ball.  “Perfect, FRI,” he said, and, giving himself a mental pat on the back, he turned and made his way across the room to where assorted friends and Guardians were scattered around on sofas while ‘The Two Towers’ played on the over-sized TV screen. He stopped at the cluttered buffet table, covered with the remains of Parker’s celebratory feast, and cut himself a piece of lemon silk cake, his lips curving into a smile as he listened to Quill telling yet another of his wild space adventures.

 

“So then there was the time we were hired by the Sovereign, who are the snobbiest bunch of a-holes you’ll ever meet, to protect their Anulax Batteries, which are these really valuable energy things, from this massive, ugly creature called the Abilisk, who wanted to eat them and we got into this super-crazy battle which of course we won, because that’s what we do, although it would have been much easier if we weren’t dodging Groot and those stupid dinosaurs he kept chasing around because he thought they were looking at him funny.”

 

Rhodey put his fist up to his mouth and gave an exaggerated cough. “Bullshit.”

 

“Ah, excuse me?” Quill shot back. “Were you there?”

 

Parker’s eyes were so big as he hung onto Quill’s every word that Tony was afraid they would pop right out of the his head. The kid sort of hero-worshipped Quill, not that Tony could blame him--Star-Lord was a man worthy of worship.  “No way!” he squeaked, and Tony wondered once again if the poor kid’s voice would ever change. “There are dinosaurs in space?! Real actual dinosaurs?!  That was, like, one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ episodes ever!”

 

“Is that show still on the air?” Quill asked.

 

“Well, it disappeared for a while,” Tony answered, approaching the couch where his two Peters were seated. He placed his slice of cake and a tumbler of iced designer spring water on the coffee table before planting himself in Quill’s lap, their matching red and yellow ‘Awesome Facial Hair Bros’ tee-shirts blending into a weird approximation of Iron Man’s armor. “They rebooted it a few years back. Everything old is new again, right?  They even had a female Doctor a couple of seasons ago.  They’re all saved in FRIDAY’S databank, if you want to watch them sometime.”

 

“Sounds good,” Quill replied, wrapping his arm around Tony’s waist to hold him steady. “Comfy?”

 

Tony wiggled around a bit and grinned. “Yeah, I kind of am.”

 

“I had such a crush on Ace when I was a kid,” Quill confessed as Tony leaned back against his chest.

 

“Wait until you see Amy Pond,” Parker said in between bites of cake.

 

“And Rose Tyler,” Stephen Strange commented from his easy chair, stirring some honey into his ever present cup of tea.

 

“Uh-uh. Donna Noble,” Rhodey chimed in. “Best companion ever.”

 

“True, that,” Tony replied, clicking his glass against Rhodey’s. “And sassy as all fuck. Her and Ten were classic.”

 

Parker popped the last bit of cake in his mouth. “Eleven was my Doctor,” he said, licking the frosting off his fork. “And the best.”

 

Strange took a sip of his tea before stating, “Nine,” and giving the room his patent-pending ‘don’t argue with the Sorcerer Supreme’ eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, Nine was good,” Rhodey agreed, “but I liked Twelve.”

 

“That’s because you’re a grumpy old man,” Tony pointed out.

 

“Only because I’m friends with you.”  Rhodey watched as Tony fed Quill a bite of cake from his fingers, and sighed in vexation.  “Do you guys really have to do that here?”

 

“Awww, be nice, Rhodester,” Tony playfully chided. “You must be patient with our new friends. They are strangers to our land and do not know our ways.”  He turned to face Quill and gave him a dopey grin.  “Isn’t that right, sugar-lumps?”

 

Quill pursed his lips to keep from laughing. “I’m from Missouri,” he said, patiently. “And it’s Star-Lord.”

 

“Well, I got the initials right so that deserves a reward,” Tony murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

 

Strange tilted his head back and groaned, “Of all days for Wong to borrow my Sling Ring.”

 

“Hey, Merlin, where’s your shirt?” Tony asked, gesturing between himself and Quill. “I had them custom made just for the three of us.”

 

“I believe it went missing in the mirror dimension.”  Strange tried to look contrite but didn’t even come close. “So sorry.”

 

“No problem,” Tony said. “I’ll give you another one before you leave. I’ve got about a dozen of them upstairs. Bet you’d look sexy in purple.”

 

“Delightful,” Strange replied, his tone drier than the driest martini. Somewhere in the background, Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ began playing.

 

“Doctor What?”  Drax asked, a forkful of cake inches from his mouth.  He made an odd picture sitting on a lounge chair clad in Gucci dress slacks, a black bow tie and no shirt, but after he had mentioned something about ‘sensitive nipples’, Tony didn’t inquire further.

 

“No, it’s Doctor _Who_ ,” Tony corrected. “What’s on second, and I Don’t Know is on third base.”

 

Rhodey laughed at Drax‘s puzzled expression. “You better be careful there, Tones,” he cautioned. “I think you’re dating yourself.”

 

“You’re older than me, so fuck you, Rhodes,” Tony fired back.

 

Rhodey batted his eyelashes playfully. “Only if you ask nicely.”

 

“That’s not what you said last night,” Tony replied with a dirty leer.

 

“I believe YOU were the one asking last night, Stark,” Strange stated, “though I suppose begging would actually be a better term.”

 

Tony turned his attention to Strange. “I don’t beg”, he protested.

 

“Then someone in this place does an excellent impression of you because I definitely heard someone pleading, and I quote, ‘make me see the stars, spaceman’,” Strange insisted.

 

“Your room was two floors away!” Tony exclaimed.

 

Strange just quirked an eyebrow. “Distance is irrelevant to one of my training and discipline. . .even if there are times when the universe should come with automatic soundproofing.”

 

Quill quickly cut in before Tony could respond. “To answer your question, Parker--and to get off this frankly embarrassing topic-- yeah, some planets still have dinosaurs called Orloni. Small guys, more like your average lizard, although there WAS this one planet that had a theme park where they were messing around with DNA to recreate big dinosaurs like the ones earth used to have.  I worked there for a while until one of them escaped and kind of trashed the place.  Totally not my fault, by the way.”

 

“I don’t care how big they are, I’d still love to see them. Do you have any pictures?” Parker asked hopefully.

 

“Don’t need them,” Quill told him, breezily. “I’ll just take you up sometime.”

 

Parker’s already big eyes widened even further. “You mean . . . we’d take your ship and go into space?!”  His voice hit an octave Tony didn’t think was possible, and for a moment he worried about the security dogs outside. And speaking of dogs, the kid was turning his ridiculously huge brown puppy eyes on him now.

 

“Oh, Mr. Stark. Can I?  I promise I’ll be good and not get in any trouble. Well, I’ll try not to. Sometimes I can’t help it. But I’ll try REALLY hard. Please?!”

 

“Don’t you have homework?” Tony teased.

 

“Well, yeah, but come on! Dinosaurs! In space!”  By then, Parker’s whole body practically vibrating with excitement.

 

“Why bother?” Rhodey asked. “We got large lizards here on earth, kid. Haven’t you ever been to Florida?”

 

“But these are SPACE lizards, Colonel Rhodes!” Parker argued.

 

Strange took a sip of his tea and replied, “He’s got a point, James.”

 

“Don’t encourage him, Stephen,” Rhodey warned.

 

“And can you imagine the grade I’d get if I brought one home?” Parker added gleefully.

 

Tony laughed at the idea. “Yeah, I’m not explaining that to Aunt May.”

 

“She wouldn’t have to know. I could leave it here.”  Tony saw the huge brown puppy eyes were glistening now, and was momentarily annoyed that Parker knew how to push his buttons so effectively. But then came an additional plaintive plea: “You’d let me do that, wouldn’t you, Mr. Stark?” and an almost imperceptible lip quiver and Tony found himself trying to work out how many blowjobs he’d have to give Quill to get the kid his own T-Rex and if Pepper would be willing to walk the thing twice a day, and--

 

Rhodey saw it all happening, and jumped in to save Tony from himself. Again.  “Tones, you gotta man up. Stand firm.  Don’t let him get to you with that Itsy Bitsy Spider routine.”

 

“Well, I guess that would be okay,” Tony said, not listening to anything Rhodey was saying, as usual. “Just as long as it’s a small one.”

 

Parker made a victorious fist-pump. “Yes! Thanks, Mr. Stark!”

 

Rhodey just shook his head sadly. “Dude, you are definitely Gollum to his Shelob.”

“Hey, I got that reference!” Quill declared, excitedly.

 

Strange pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. It was going to be THAT kind of night.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Gamora, who was sitting on one of the other massive couches that circled the living room, watched Stark as he threw his arm around Parker’s slim shoulder and gave him a hug which made the young man beam. He hadn’t been joking about the youngest Avenger--it seemed like Parker thrived on a diet of hugs and junk food, both of which Stark provided in abundance. It was obvious Stark was very fond of him.  Fond and proud, like a dad ought to be. She wasn’t ashamed to admit she was envious of the boy.

 

In the short time they had all been together, she had learned a lot about Anthony Edward Stark, and had been forced to revise her earlier opinion of him--first impressions could be deceiving, especially in this case. Yes, he was loud and boisterous and downright exasperating at times, but he was also kind-hearted and funny and very generous whether with his time, his resources, or his affections. He had graciously taken in her whole team--her bizarre little rag-tag family--and opened his home to them.  Surprisingly, but happily, his own equally bizarre rag-tag family had accepted her team as well.

 

Against all expectations, she found she actually liked the man. But she’d bite off her own foot before she’d admit it to anyone.

 

The last two weeks had been spent getting to know each other while brain-storming tactics and weapon-designs to defeat Thanos once and for all. They had worked out some good ideas on their own, and were hoping that once the rest of the Avengers arrived back from their extended mission, more plans might be proposed.  They were due back today, and Gamora, and the other Guardians, were eager to meet them.

 

That's not to say it had only been work and preparing for war. In between strategy meetings, there had been movies (mostly ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’, unless someone was able to hide the remote control from Groot), and games (she still wasn’t sure what had been the point of ‘Twister’ but Quill and Stark seemed to enjoy it, perhaps a bit too much) and training sessions (Parker--or rather, Spider-Man--was always up for a round or two, proving himself a worthy, skillful opponent) and trying all different types of earth food (Mantis’ delight at each new dish should have been annoying but instead only made everyone smile) and just hours of hanging out and relaxing which everyone at the Compound had desperately needed.

 

She spent much of that time talking to the valiant warrior, Rhodes, who had great stories of the battles he had seen and some even better stories of his 30-year friendship with Stark. Parker was a delight whenever his busy schedule of school and super-heroing allowed him to visit.  He was smart and sassy and sweet enough to rot your teeth but he had a spine of steel that she admired.  Strange, well, he lived up to his name.  He wasn’t around much, only popping by a couple of times since their arrival, but she was impressed by his intellect, his power and his strong moral code. He would be a valuable ally in their upcoming fight.  She hadn’t spent much time with Vision. While he had been nothing but cordial to the team, it was intimidating (and though she was loathe to admit it, a bit scary) to be in such proximity to yet another Infinity Gem.   And as for Bruce Banner.  Well. . .Bruce. . .

 

Gamora felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of the unassuming scientist with the warm dark eyes and the soft pink lips. Quiet where Parker was loud, shy where Rhodes was outgoing, and offering just the slightest hint of a smile, so unlike Stark’s frequent smirks. And under it all, the huge, powerful creature known as The Hulk. Stark had shown them some video clips of the Manhattan battle, and she watched in awe as Bruce’s alter-ego took down an entire Chitauri Leviathan with a single punch. It was. . .  exciting.  No, wrong word.  Humbling.  Arousing. 

 

_Stop, Gamora. Get a grip.  ARGH.  Don't go there!  Just STOP!_

 

She was thankfully pulled back to reality by Tony’s voice. “And just what the hell are you doing here anyway, Drax? You’re supposed to be on a date. . .”

 

“Having dinner,” Quill stage whispered.

 

“Having dinner with Mantis,” Tony amended. “You’re going to ruin your appetite.”

 

“Yes, I am aware,” Drax replied. “However, she has yet to arrive, and I was hungry.”

 

Tony chuckled. “Women, eh? They’re all the same. Always late and--”

 

Gamora leveled a glare at him, wordlessly daring him to finish the sentence.

 

“And, uh, how they put up with assholes like us, I‘ll never know,” he quickly backpedaled. “Saints, every last one of them.”

Quill just shook his head and laughed.  “Dude, you love to live dangerously.”

 

As if on cue, Mantis hurried into the room. “Here I am,” she said, breathlessly, as if she had run all the way across the Compound. “I apologize for my tardiness, but I was not sure which dress to wear. They were all so pretty.”

 

Tony gave the mid-thigh silver silk and chiffon number she had chosen from Pepper’s wardrobe a low approving wolf-whistle. “Wow! Great choice!”

 

“Destroyer,” Quill stage-whispered once more.

 

“I mean, you look positively putrid,” Tony revised.

 

Mantis smiled excitedly. “Do I?”

 

“Absolutely appalling,” Quill agreed with a proud grin.

 

“They are right,” Drax said. “I do not know how I will keep any food down having to look at you all night.”

 

Mantis’ cheeks flushed a light pink. “Thank you, Drax. You look rather repulsive yourself.”  She clasped his hand as he stood up, and as Stevie Wonder’s ‘My Cherie Amour’ played, they made their way over to the table Tony had set up earlier.  Dum-E followed after them, chirping excitedly, open bottle of wine in its claw.

 

“Remember Dum-E--pour the wine in the glasses, not on the guests,” Tony instructed before glancing over at Quill. “Crazy kids, eh?”

 

“Are you planning on playing matchmaker for all of us, Stark?” Gamora inquired. Tony’s eyes widened as he pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he declared. “What an outrageous accusation! I‘m highly offended!”  At that moment, Bruce wandered into the room carrying two glasses of ice tea.  Tony jerked his head towards the couch, mouthing, “Go! Go!  Go!”

 

Taking the not-very-subtle hint, Bruce sat on the couch next to Gamora. Ducking his head, a fetching blush staining his cheeks, he shyly handed her the glass.  “One sugar, extra slice of lemon, as you requested.”

 

Gamora smiled at him as she took the glass. “Thank you, Bruce.”  Was her stomach supposed to feel so funny when he smiled at her that way?  Maybe she was coming down with something.  She should ask Strange about it later.  He was a doctor, after all.

 

The tender moment was interrupted by Tony. Of course.  “You know Bruce, I think you and Strange should apologize to Groot for drinking his relatives.”

 

“I’ll add it to my ‘to do’ list,” Bruce said, taking a sip from his own glass. “Did I miss anything?”

 

Waving her hand at the television, Gamora replied, “They’re taking the Hobbits to Isengard. Again.  And those guys,” she thumbed over at Tony and company, “are arguing over someone called Doctor Who.”

 

“Four!” Bruce announced, decisively.

 

“And Bruce goes old school!” Tony laughed.

 

Strange tipped his tea cup towards the sofa and pronounced, “Dr. Banner, you are a man of distinction.”

 

At that moment, Vision floated out of the kitchen and through the living room, carrying a covered tray. “Everything going okay there, Viz?”  Tony asked.

 

“Indeed,” Vision said, “though I am still uncertain about Aunt May’s Coq au Vin recipe.”

 

“You didn’t follow it, right?” Peter asked, worriedly.

 

“Not a word, as you suggested,” Vision assured him.

 

Parker smiled in relief.   “Then you’ll be fine.”

 

Vision nodded, and headed over to the table where Drax and Mantis were seated.

 

“Open offer, Petey,” Tony said, taking a sip from his tumbler. “I know Todd English personally. One call, and I can get him here to give her some private lessons.”

 

“Her cooking’s not THAT bad,” Parker contended. “She’s just. . .well . . . she gets in trouble when she gets too ambitious.”

 

“I didn’t know turkey meatloaf was considered ‘ambitious’,” Strange remarked.

 

“Did I mention he’s single?”  Tony threw in.  Gamora just rolled her eyes and sighed.  Still, the way Bruce kept looking at her, she couldn’t complain too much.

 

“Hey, when you gonna set me up, Tones?” Rhodey joked.

 

“I don’t think Todd swings that way,” Tony answered. “Groot’s still on the market, but I’m pretty sure he prefers red-heads.”

 

Strange smirked. “Perhaps you should warn Natasha.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,“ Tony smirked back.

 

Groot, who was sitting in the corner, utterly absorbed in the movie barked out, “I am Groot.”

 

“Whoa, dude, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Quill scolded. Turning to Tony, he shook his head in dismay.  “Kids these days. You try to raise them right, but something always goes wrong.”

 

Tony looked pointedly at Parker. “Tell me about it.”

 

“HEY!”  Parker protested. 

 

“Will Natasha be joining the rest of your team tonight?” Gamora asked. Looking around the room, she added, “It might be nice having another female around the place.”

 

“Not necessarily,” Bruce muttered under his breath before taking a long drink of his tea.

 

“Yeah, in fact, they should be here any minute now,” Tony told her.

 

Suddenly a startled feminine yelp rang out from the far corner of the room followed by a sad little beep. Everybody immediately started tossing worried looks at each other, but it was Rhodey who spoke up first, saying what they were all thinking: “Uh-oh. That . . . did not sound good.”

 

“What have you done, you odd little robot thing!?” Drax’s booming voice echoed off the walls. “Her dress is ruined!”

 

Tony looked over his shoulder to address the distressed couple, and his eternal problem child. “Drax, it’s cool. Dum-E, I swear, if you don’t shape up, I’m turning you over to Rocket. And he won’t be a kind taskmaster, I can tell you that.”

 

Dum-E hung his claw and emitted another little mournful beep.

 

“There is nothing cool about it!” Drax insisted. “The temperature in the room is the same as it has always been, and her dress is still ruined!”

 

“Seriously, don’t worry about it, Drax,” Tony soothed. “I’ll take care of it. Just enjoy your date. . .”

 

“Dinner,” Rhodey corrected.

 

“Dinner.”  The word was barely spoken when Quill suddenly pushed him off his lap.  “Hey!” he complained, just barely catching himself before he fell over. “What the fuck, Star-Lord?”

 

“They’re playing our song,” Quill said, standing up and holding out his hand.

 

It took Tony a moment to recognize the song FRIDAY was now playing. He looked at Quill, looked at Quill’s hand, then looked around the room. “You wanna dance? Here?  Now?”

 

“It’s that, or watching ‘The Two Towers’ for the tenth time.”  Quill flashed Tony a wide grin--complete with dimples--and wiggled his fingers in a ‘come here’ gesture.

 

Gamora had found herself on the receiving end of those dimples more times than she could count, and knew they were very difficult to refuse.

 

Sure enough, Tony quickly gave in. “Dancing it is,” he conceded, taking Quill’s hand and following along to an empty area of the room. “And I believe it’s called ‘Your Song’.”

 

Quill wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist, pulling him in tight. “Elton John. Self titled album.  1971,” he said, taking the lead.

 

“72,” Tony countered, also trying to take the lead, but ultimately losing out. “And no dipping.”

 

“70,” Strange stated, confidently.

 

Bruce looked over at Parker. “And the winner is. . .?”

 

Parker, who was already Googling the answer on his Starkphone, declared, “Doctor Strange. Again.”

 

“Of course,” Strange replied smugly, taking a victorious sip of his tea.

 

“Dammit!” Quill muttered, while Tony commented, “No one likes a smart-ass, Strange.”  

 

Gamora sipped at her drink and watched the two men moving in sync to the melodious song. It was no surprise that Quill had been able to persuade Tony to join him--the Compound was almost always filled with music, and it wasn’t unusual to spot the two of them doing a few turns wherever they happened to be.

 

“Hey, I said no dipping!” Tony squealed, as Quill tipped him backwards with practiced ease.

 

“Yeah, I don’t really follow orders too well,” Quill informed him with a grin. “It’s one of my issues.”

 

Gamora smiled at their antics. It made her happy to see that her captain--her friend--had finally found someone who enjoyed dancing as much as he did.  She watched Quill press his lips to Tony’s ear, singing along to the song as they glided easily across the floor. “I hope you won’t mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”

 

“Same here, Star-Lord,” Tony murmured, turning his head and capturing Quill’s lips with his own.

 

Strange sighed a long-suffering sigh. “How much longer is this honeymoon period going to last?”

 

“I hope it ends soon. I think I’m getting diabetes,” Bruce joked.

 

“Keep it G-rated, T-Bone,” Rhodey cautioned, playfully. “We have kids in the room.”

 

“I’ll be 18 in three weeks,” Parker pointed out. “I am NOT a kid!”

 

Rhodey raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Sorry, Spider-Dude. I was just trying to protect you.  Didn’t think you wanted to sit here and watch those two get their groove on.”

 

Parker thought on that for a second and made a face. “Ugh. No way.”  He called out to the dancing couple, “Watch out for the kids, Mr. Stark. Lots of kids!  SOOOO many kids!”

 

“Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark!?”

 

At the sound of Mantis’ excited voice, Tony reluctantly broke away from Quill’s lips to see her tugging a resigned Drax across the room. When the pair drew near, and he finally got a good look at the wine-stained dress, he groaned.  “Awww, man. . .I hope that can be dry-cleaned or Pep’s gonna kill me.”

 

“Pretty sure if she hasn't killed you by now, one stained dress isn't going to push her over the top,” Rhodey said.

 

Tony gave him a look. “Pepper Potts is no Hillary Clinton, okay?”

 

Rhodey laughed. “Wow! That joke REALLY shows your age, Tones!”

 

“Mr. Stark?” Mantis said again, causing Tony to turn his attention back to her. “Drax and I were wondering if we could join you two?” she asked, hopefully.

 

“Well, I don’t know,” Tony drawled, as he looked over at Quill, mischief lighting up his eyes.   “Is our relationship ready for orgies yet?”

 

“Only if you toss in Strange,” Quill replied.

 

Strange crossed his long legs elegantly. “You couldn’t handle me, Star-Lord.”

 

“That sounds like a challenge,” Quill said, evenly. “I like challenges.”

 

Mantis looked between the three men, clearly confused. “Orgies?” she repeated, tentatively.

 

Tony flashed her a gentle smile. “We're just teasing, Mantis. Of course you can join us.  Dance floor’s open to everyone.”  He looked meaningfully at Bruce as he spoke the last line, but Bruce just shook his head minutely and looked away awkwardly.

 

The Cloak of Levitation, which had been hovering obtrusively, if not downright showily, behind Strange’s chair, had no such reservations. It flew over to Parker and pulled at his arm.  Parked laughed and sprung up from the couch.  “Okay, okay, Cole, I’m coming!”

 

Strange took a deep, meditative breath and released it before asking, “Please tell me that you didn’t just call one of the most powerful magical items on Earth ‘Cole’?”

 

“Well, I have to call it SOMETHING,” Peter answered as soft cloth wrapped itself around his wrist and behind his back. “Cloak of Levitation is a mouthful, so I just shortened it.”

 

Strange rubbed his forehead in despair for humanity and hoped the other sorcerers would never learn of this.

 

As Mantis patiently positioned Drax’s hands properly on her shoulder and waist, he leaned over to Quill and said, solemnly, “I am glad you found someone pathetic, like you, to dance with.”

 

Quill gave him a pained smile. “Thank you, Drax. That. . .that means a lot to me.”

 

Just as solemnly, Drax replied, “You are welcome, my friend.”

 

Gamora, meanwhile, watched as Bruce gazed almost hungrily at the couples dancing, his desire to join them clearly written all over his face. Her internal debate over what to do didn’t last long: _“_ _You don_ _’_ _t like dancing._ _”_ _“_ _But it_ _’_ _ll make Bruce happy._ _”_ _“_ _Quill will tease you mercilessly._ _”_ _“_ _I can always kill him._ _”_

 

Before she could change her mind, she grabbed a startled Doctor Banner by the hand, pulled him up as if he weighed nothing, and dragged him over to the dance floor next to the others. “Just this once,” she declared as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Noticing Quill smiling at her, she growled, “Not one word!”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Quill said, his smile growing bigger, and if he thought she didn’t see him give Bruce an enthusiastic ‘thumbs up’, he was wrong.

 

The four couples danced happily--well, Drax and Mantis shuffled happily—through ‘Your Song’ and despite Gamora’s one song only threat, as the melody shifted into ‘Baby I Love Your Way’ (Strange: “Frampton Comes Alive, 1976”; Tony: “Everyone knows THAT one, Doc”) she and Bruce continued to dance.

 

But when The Bee Gees started asking how deep everyone’s love was, Parker called out, “Hey FRIDAY! Can you play something from THIS century?”

 

Tony just looked at Quill and shrugged his shoulders. “Where did I go wrong?”

 

At the opening strains of Bruno Mars’, ‘Uptown Funk’, Parker let out an excited shriek, and began showing off some pretty sick dance moves that had Quill cheering him on. The others were just starting to get into the swing of it as well when FRIDAY turned down the volume and announced, “Boss, the team has returned from their mission.”

 

The easy, fun-filled party atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted as Tony stepped away from Quill, a wariness in his eyes that hadn’t been there since the day the Guardians had first touched down in his backyard. The apprehension was gone as quickly as it had come, however, as Gamora watched Tony almost physically shake it away.

 

“Okay, gang,” he called out, clapping his hands. “Everyone look sharp. Time to meet the rest of the squad.  And no one better embarrass me, or they’ll be sleeping in the doghouse tonight. Granted, our doghouse is nicer than most four-star hotels, but still. . .”

 

Tony’s fake joviality was so obvious compared to the genuine happiness he had been exhibiting just moments earlier, and Gamora wondered if anyone else had noticed. As she looked around the room, she got her answer.  Rhodey’s and Parker’s attitudes had also changed, almost as if they were on high-alert, anticipating trouble. Bruce’s expression seemed oddly expectant and Strange was--well, nothing seemed to faze that man. He was his usual haughty self, casually sipping from his bottomless cup of tea, his face a neutral mask, his bright, intelligent eyes taking everything in.

 

Gamora wasn’t sure what had caused the sudden tension, but she readied herself for battle. . . just in case.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Peter Quill, on the other hand, knew exactly what had caused the sudden tension. Contrary to popular belief, he and Tony hadn’t spent every minute of the past 14 days fucking like sex-crazed bunnies. Make no mistake--there had been plenty of that, of course.  Tony had proven himself to be quite a passionate, imaginative and skillful lover, and their erotic escapades never failed to put a smile on Quill’s face.  But there were other times, late at night, when nightmares had kept them both from sleeping, that they had slipped off to the kitchen, brewed up a pot of coffee (or dug out pints of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, depending on the severity of the nightmares) and just talked.

 

At first, it was kept to basic, uncomplicated conversation: music (a favourite topic for them both), TV shows, movies, childhood crushes (although ‘The Milano’ was kind of a dead giveaway on that one), food on alien planets, earth foods Quill missed (hence the Chubby Hubby). Likes and dislikes.  Good-natured debates and arguments.  Words that filled the air and passed the time and helped forge the bonds of friendship.

 

Slowly, they began to venture into more serious subjects, and while neither of them were very good with *shudder* _feelings_ , Quill told Tony about his wonderful mom, Meredith--how much he loved her and how deeply her death had affected him.  He spoke of his life growing up with Yondu--how he never realized what a good father figure he had been until he was gone, and how much he still missed the ornery bastard.  And finally he spilled the entire story of Ego--how he had been responsible for Meredith’s death and how Quill and his team had ended up killing him to save the galaxy.

 

It took Tony longer to open up, but after much coaxing, he told Quill about Afghanistan and Obadiah Stane and the creation of Iron Man--the only good thing to come out of that fiasco. He spoke of Ultron and Sokovia and the creation of Vision--the only good thing that had come out of that fiasco.  And finally he spilled the entire story of the now infamous Accords that had driven a wedge between the Avengers, with half taking Tony’s side and the others siding with Steve Rogers, and exactly what had happened in Siberia, where friendships and trusts had been stretched beyond their limits, the cracks never fully healing.

 

Nothing good had come from that fiasco.

 

Quill knew that tonight’s meeting between the Avengers and the Guardians was the first step in attempting to mend that rift, something that had to be done if they had any chance of defeating Thanos. But that didn’t mean if given half a chance he wouldn’t punch Rogers in the nose for leaving Tony alone in Siberia.  You never leave a man (or woman) behind.  That’s just not something family would ever do.

 

The ping of the arriving elevator drew the attention of everyone in the room, with the exception of Groot, who was still engrossed in his movie. The doors opened, and Team Cap entered the room, all still in their uniforms, clearly not taking the time to change into civilian clothes.  Quill recognized them all from the news clips he and his team had watched since coming to the Compound.  Steve Rogers was naturally at the lead, with Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson flanking him, followed by Wanda Maximoff and Clint Barton and a sexy leather-clad red-head that could only be the notorious Natasha Romanoff taking up the rear.

 

Quill was close enough to Tony to hear his breath start to grow rapid at the sight of the new arrivals. Without taking his eyes off Rogers, he furtively reached over and grasped Tony’s hand.  Tony looked up at him in surprise; Quill gave him what he hoped was a small, encouraging smile.  It must’ve worked because he felt Tony wrap his fingers around his own and give a tight squeeze.  Turning back to his wayward team, he flashed an overly phony grin and announced, “Ah, the prodigal children return!  How’d things go, Cap?  Did you catch those wascally wabbits?”

 

From behind him, Quill heard Drax say, “Wabbits? I thought their mission involved an army of killer robots?”

 

Quill was about correct him when Gamora replied, “He just meant. . .” She trailed off and shook her head.  “Actually, I have no idea what he meant.”

 

Right. Okay.  Bugs Bunny cartoons just went to the top of the ‘must-watch’ list.  Just as soon as they got the remote away from Groot. 

 

“Yes, the mission was a success,” Rogers pronounced, his bearing serious and professional, if perhaps a bit pompous. “Both robots and wabbits have been dispatched, for the time being.”  Sam snickered at that, and Quill got a feeling they were in for a long night.

 

That feeling only intensified as a low, deep, growl that didn’t seem like it could possibly come from mild-mannered Bruce Banner rumbled through the room. “Hello, Wanda,” he snarled, his eyes flashing a bright, neon green.

 

The young lady turned ghost-white, and took one, then two steps backwards, all the while stammering, “I. . .um. . .I. . .yeah. . .I think. . .perhaps. . . I forgot something in my. . . thing,” before dashing from the room.

 

Vision, who had emerged from the kitchen at FRIDAY’S announcement, sighed in exasperation--well, as much as a magical android could express exasperation at any rate. “I shall see to her.  Again,” and floated out of the room after her.

 

Bruce grinned. “That is never going to get old,” he said, his voice back to its normal soft timbre, the green fading from his eyes.

 

“You’ve been hanging around me too long, big guy,” Tony chuckled.

 

“Real mature, Banner,” Sam admonished. But Quill had heard some of the stories of what Wanda had initially done to the team, including releasing the Hulk on an innocent city, so he couldn’t really bring himself to blame Bruce for wanting a bit of payback. 

 

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe not.  But it’s fun.”

 

“And hot,” Gamora said, maybe a bit more breathless than she had intended. Everyone looked at her in bewilderment.  “Well, it was.   A bit.”  She frowned and snapped, “What?”

 

Bruce’s cheeks flushed. “Good to know,” he murmured, as Tony gave him a not-so-stealthy ‘thumbs up’.

 

While all that was going on, Rogers’ sharp blue eyes had been scanning the room, taking in the table of half-empty chafing dishes, the festive banner that read ‘Peter Parker Kicks Ass!’, the colourful couples still standing on the impromptu dance floor, before finally coming to rest on Tony and Quill’s entwined hands. “What’s all this then?” he demanded.

 

“We’re having a party to celebrate Parker’s excellent grade on his science project,” Tony explained. “Best grade in the school!  Probably the best in the school‘s history!”  Quill doubted he could have puffed out his chest out any further if he tried.

 

“Mr. Staaaaark. . .” a red-faced Parker whined, clearly embarrassed by Tony’s enthusiasm.

 

“Hush, child,” Tony scolded, playfully. “Proud papa is bragging over here.”

 

Quill groaned. “I’m gonna be signing adoption papers soon, aren’t I?”

 

“You mean you haven’t already?” Rhodey teased.

 

“And I just got done raising a teen-ager,” Quill lamented.

 

“You started the party without us?” Clint griped.

 

“That’s what you get when you decide to be fashionably late,” Tony informed him. “I made sure to save some lemon silk cake and spiked punch, if anyone’s interested.”

 

“Did Aunt May make it?” Natasha asked, point-blank.

 

“Nope, Yvette’s Bakery,” Tony replied.

 

“Dibs,” Sam called out, as he made his way to the buffet table.

 

“Not cool guys,” Parker complained.

 

“SPIKED punch?” Rogers repeated, emphasizing the word with displeasure.

 

Tony just looked at Parker and raised a knowing eyebrow. (So HE was the culprit!  Quill would have put his money on Rocket.)  Parker’s eyes grew wide and his lower jaw hit the floor.  Poor kid.  Quill felt bad for him.  He looked like he was going to pee himself.  “Mis. . . mister. . . Star. . .Stark,” he stammered.  “I. .  .I didn’t. . .I mean . . .it wasn’t. . .”

 

Waving a dismissive hand, Tony chuckled, “Yeah, yeah, junior. Tell it to someone who wasn’t a teenager at some point.”

 

Parker’s brow furrowed in confusion as he processed that statement. “You knew?”

 

“Of course I did,” Tony said. “Why do you think I didn’t drink any?”

 

The forehead furrows got deeper. “And you’re not mad?” “I didn’t say that, but I get it,” Tony told him.  “We’ve all been there.  And hey, it’s a party, right?  If I didn’t want you to have it I would have put a stop to it.”

 

Rogers’ face grew grimmer as the conversation continued. “You’re actually encouraging under-aged drinking now?”

 

Tony rolled his eyes and snarked, “Oh, just add it to your little notebook under ‘deviant Stark behaviour’. I know how much you enjoy finding out new things that you can lord over me.  Slip it between ‘wears lacy panties’ and ‘has sex with cantaloupes’.”

 

Images began flying fast and furious through Quill’s brain. Sexy images.  Naughty images.  “Seriously?” he squeaked.

 

Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, Tony stated simply, “Rhodey dared me,” as if that explained everything. And maybe it did.

 

“I still can’t believe you did it,” Rhodey laughed. “You cost me five Benjamins!”

 

“Your own fault, Sourpatch,” Tony grinned back. “You should know me better by now.”

 

“You ah, still got them?” Quill asked, haltingly. “The. . .um. . .” his voice dropped to a whisper, “the panties?”

 

“Maybe,” Tony replied, coyly.

 

“You are so wearing those tonight,” Quill commanded in his best ‘I’m the captain and you’ll follow my orders’ voice.

 

Tony grin grew wider. “As you wish.”

 

“Oh, thank you,” Strange commented snidely from the sidelines. “Do you have any idea how good I am at visualization? That’s an image I certainly don’t need in my head.”

 

“Second that, Criss Angel,” Sam concurred, plopping down on the couch across from Rhodes and giving a cordial nod of recognition to the colonel before digging into his piece of cake.  


“Listen, I don’t care when it’s you, Stark,” Rogers argued, “but when you put a minor in danger. . .”

 

Before Tony could respond, Gamora, who had been watching the interaction with a growing sense of anger (if her balled up fists were anything to go by), cut in. “Whoa!  Stop right there!  Parker was never in danger.  And if you think for one second Tony would do anything that would cause that boy harm, then you obviously don’t know him at all.”

 

Clint snorted derisively. “And you know him so well?”

 

Gamora glared at him, and Quill noticed the man flinch. Maybe he wasn’t as stupid as he looked.  “Apparently better than you.”

 

If Rogers had heard the exchange, he didn’t seem to pay it any heed, his attention, and his ire, focused solely on Tony. “Honestly, Stark, I would think YOU of all people would know the risks of alcohol.”

 

Tony released Quill’s hand so he could throw both of his dramatically into the air. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Cap, can’t you lighten up for one night?  There’s nothing wrong with having a drink at a party.” 

 

“You sound just like Howard,“ Rogers said with a sneer. “Guess the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree after all.”

 

Rhodey let out a soft whistle. “Wow, that was a low blow, Rogers.”

 

Tony just stared at Rogers and Quill wondered if he should step in and say something, but as the rest of Tony’s friends were keeping quiet, he figured either this was normal behaviour for the two of them and everyone was used to it, or else they had been told in the past to stay out of it. Either way, it was probably best for him to keep his mouth shut and let Tony handle it--at least for the time being.

 

“Look, Rogers,” Tony began, testily, “I don’t have to explain myself to you, but if you want to know the truth, I didn’t think it was a big deal because 1) he’s staying here tonight so there won’t be any drunken web-slinging, 2) he was with a bunch of responsible adults. . .”

 

“Rhodes bet you to have sex with a cantaloupe,” Clint reminded him.

 

“And he insisted I wear a condom,” Tony said. “See?  Totally responsible.”

 

Gamora pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned, “Why me?” She immediately turned to Drax--who was opening his mouth to speak--and said, “Do NOT answer that!”

 

“And lastly, I’d rather have Parker doing stuff like that here where I can watch him than out there on his own where he could get into trouble.” Tony turned to the young man and added a wry, “Just ask me first next time, okay, Petey?”

 

Parker nodded a penitent nod. “Yes, sir.  Sorry, Mr. Stark.”

 

Tony reached over and slung an arm around the kid’s shoulders, giving him a hug. “Good boy.”

 

Quill’s attention was pulled away from the on-going drama as he noticed Bucky making his way to the buffet table. He cut himself a large slice of cake and filled up a highball glass with the spiked punch, before rejoining the group.  He took a seat on a hassock next to Strange, who continued to casually sip at his cup of tea.  (seriously, how much tea did that one little china cup hold anyway?)

 

“And that’s good enough for you?” Rogers demanded.

 

Tony gave Parker’s shoulder a final squeeze before releasing him. “Yes, it is.  He screwed up.  He learned.  He apologized.  We’re moving on.  Isn’t that what mature individuals do?”  And Quill got the feeling Tony wasn’t only talking about Parker’s minor indiscretion. 

 

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest and muttered, “I’ll let you know if I ever meet any.”

 

“He’s supposed to be a superhero and a role model,” Rogers argued. “He shouldn’t be breaking the law.”

 

Tony just looked Rogers right in the eye and said, pointedly, “And you know all about following the law, right, Cap?”

 

Rogers’ mouth pulled into a tight line of displeasure as he squared his shoulders, his gaze never leaving Tony’s. Quill was wondering if he’d be able to take down a super-soldier should Rogers try anything crazy (and silently cursing the fact his Element Gun was locked away in his bedroom) when Sam saved the day.  “Hey, I see some new faces here.  You gonna introduce us, Stark?  I’m Sam Wilson, by the way.”

 

“I’ve been trying to get to that, but I was busy getting my ass chewed out, and not in the fun way,” Tony replied, flippantly. “As your eagle eye--or rather falcon eye--detected, there have been some additions made to the starting lineup while you guys were gone.  Sam, Nat, Cap, Clint, Buckman--may I present,” he made a grand sweeping gesture with his arms, “The Guardians of the Galaxy!”

 

“The who of the what?” Clint asked.

 

“I don’t know is on third!” Drax answered with a proud grin.

 

Tony smiled over at Rhodey. “They grow up so fast.”  Turning back to Team Cap, he continued, “This lovely lady being swept off her combat-boot covered feet by Doctor Banner is Gamora.  She’s kind of like you Natasha, but with even bigger brass ones, if you can believe it.  I’m half-way tempted to revive the jello-wrestling craze of the 80’s and sell the rights to pay-per-view.  Could make a fortune with you two.”

 

“In your dreams, Stark,” both ladies responded together, then glared at each other darkly.

 

“Yeah, you REALLY don’t wanna go there,” Tony chuckled. “Anyway, as I was saying, the utterly revolting couple dancing beside me are Drax and Mantis.  His nickname is The Destroyer, so keep your hands and your smart remarks to yourself.  And this strapping hunk of Grade A Prime Rib,” he tilted his head up, and kissed Quill on the cheek, “is my boyfriend.”

 

“Boyfriend?” Rogers repeated, incredulously. “It’s only been two weeks!”

 

“Two glorious, sex-filled weeks,” Tony corrected, smugly.

 

“Ugh, don’t remind us,” Rhodey moaned.

 

“And does this Grade A Prime Rib have a name?” Sam joked.

 

“Indeed he does,” Tony replied. “Some call him the space cowboy, some call him the gangster of love.  You can call him Star-Lord.”

 

Rogers crossed his arms over his chest and declared emphatically, “I will do no such thing.”

 

Tony just shrugged. “You sorta have to since it’s his name.”

 

Clint scoffed. “You must be kidding.”

 

“No, it really is,” Gamora confirmed with a roll of her eyes. “They had it officially changed last week.”

 

“Fury owed me a favour,” Tony explained, as Quill slid his arm around Tony’s waist.

 

“You’re green,” Natasha stated bluntly, still checking out the competition.

 

“Bruce warned me not to swallow,” Gamora deadpanned.

 

Strange choked on his tea, then coughed into his hand to cover it up while the tea cup hovered innocently in mid-air.

 

“Why is everyone dressed like it’s Halloween?” Rogers inquired.

 

Tony turned to Quill, a giddy expression on his face. “You wanna tell them or should I?  PLEASE say I can tell them.”

 

Quill grinned back. This was Tony’s moment and he wouldn’t dream of stealing his thunder.  Leaning down, he kissed Tony’s lips and said, “Knock yourself out, babe.”

 

Tony looked over his shoulder and smirked. “He calls me ‘babe’.”

 

“Styx. ‘Cornerstone’.  1979.  Written by Dennis De. . .”

 

“Yes, we get it Stephen,” Rhodey sighed, wearily.

 

“Okay, so here’s the thing,” Tony began. “I don’t know if you recall, but a while back I may have mentioned like once or twice--or a hundred times--that aliens from outer space would come back to Earth to finish the job they started?  You know, that whole ‘try to take over the planet and kill everyone’ thing they seemed hellbent on doing?  And no one believed me?”  Gesturing to all the Guardians, he proclaimed, proudly, “TA-DA!”

 

Everyone from Team Cap was quiet for a moment as they digested the news. It was their leader who finally broke the silence.  “So you’re saying these. . .people?. . .are space aliens?” Rogers’ little half-smile said he didn’t believe one word he was saying, and was only humouring Tony. 

 

Quill wanted to punch him in his perfect teeth.

 

“Ding, ding, ding. . .he got it in one,” Tony sing-songed. “Give the boy a prize!”

 

“And you thought it would be a good idea to invite them into our home and have a party with them before they took over the planet?” Rogers said, still just playing along. 

 

“MY home,” Tony corrected, “and yes, I did, because these are the good guys.” Gamora cleared her throat deliberately.  “And ladies.  Sorry.  My bad.  Equal rights.  Girl Power.  Rah.  They flew all the way across the galaxy to help us defeat the big bad super-villain who is planning Earth’s destruction as we speak, hence the name, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.  I’m actually surprised you didn’t see their space ship parked in the back 40.  It’s kind of hard to miss.”  He waved towards the big bay windows circling the room.  “You might be needing some glasses, Grandpa Walton.  Just saying.”

 

At first, no one moved. Finally Sam put down his half-eaten piece of cake.  “Fine.  I‘ll bite,” he stated, standing up and walking towards to the window. 

 

Rogers huffed, “Tony, this is. . .” but Tony put up his finger and stopped him.

“Wait for it,” he said.  “3. . .2. . .1. . .”

 

“Holy shit!” Sam exclaimed.

 

“And there it is!” Tony proclaimed, proudly.

 

“How can shit be religious?” Drax pondered aloud, as the rest of Team Cap raced over to join Sam. They all stood in shocked silence for a moment, then two, and Tony gave Quill a triumphant grin.  He looked so happy, Quill couldn’t resist leaning down and brushing a quick kiss across his smiling mouth.

 

When they looked up again, it was to see Natasha shaking her head in disbelief. “There is no way that can be real.”

 

“You think I made that in my workshop?” Tony asked, amused.

 

“Sounds like something you’d do,” Clint said.

 

“Well, okay, maybe,” Tony agreed. “But, c’mon, I wouldn’t have painted it those colours.”

 

“Hey, do not diss The Milano,” Quill protested. “That paint job is bitchin' and you know it.”

 

As the members of Team Cap drifted away from the spectacle outside the Compound, and made their way back to the main living room (Bucky stopping at the buffet table for another slice of cake), Tony hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans and boasted, “So, seeing as I was right and everyone else was wrong, I believe you, my dear Captain, owe me one fucking ENORMOUS apology. And YOU, Barton. . .you owe me fifty bucks.”

 

Clint made a show of patting down his form-fitting leather pants, then shrugged. “Left my wallet in my other uniform.”

“S’okay, you can owe me,” Tony said.  “I’ll just add it to your tab.”

 

A scandalized gasp came from Quill’s side. “You made a bet on your planet’s survival?!” Gamora accused, not able to hide her outrage.

 

Tony just smirked at her, which probably wasn‘t the smartest response. “Yup, and I won.”

 

Gamora threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. “You people are insane!”

 

“You’re just figuring that out now?” Strange asked her.

 

Tony, meanwhile, turned to face Quill. “That outburst means you owe me a kiss.”

 

“And I always pay my gambling debts.” He pulled Tony in for a deep, passionate kiss, completely ignoring Rogers’ moue of displeasure and Parker’s gagging sounds.  As they came up for air, Quill chuckled.  “Gotta hand it to you, Tony.  I thought I was the only one who could wind her up like that.”

 

“If there’s one thing Tony does better than anyone, it’s wind people up,” Rhodey chimed in. “The man is a master.”

 

A chorus of “amens” rained down from all around the room.

 

“You guys better watch it, or I’ll start charging rent,” Tony threatened, playfully. “Ass, grass, or cash--no one rides for free.  ’Cept you, Parker.  You’re good.”

 

“So you don’t want the bag of weed I found while stopping a mugging last week?” Parker asked, innocently.  At Tony’s glare he burst out laughing, “I’m kidding!  I’m kidding!”

 

“Well, I already know which option *I* choose,” Quill declared, planting another kiss on Tony’s receptive lips. While they were otherwise occupied, Bruce flashed a quick, ‘call me’ hand gesture to Parker.

 

A loud, annoyed sound from Rogers cut into the shenanigans. Glowering at the group, and seemingly fed up with the entire situation, he groused, “Look, Stark, I don’t know what game you’re playing here.  I mean, as pranks go, this one is pretty impressive, even for you.  The make-up work is quite realistic, especially that Drax guy, although those antenna things on the girl are just silly.” (Mantis reached up to touch her stalks and pouted)  “And I’m sure you spent a lot of money on these actors and that movie prop ship just to mess with us, so congratulations there.  But couldn’t you have put a little more effort into your story?  I mean, even you have to admit that the idea of a group of aliens coming to Earth to warn us about an invasion from ANOTHER group of aliens is something that wouldn’t even work in a Z-Grade science fiction movie. . ."

 

His rant was cut off as Rocket strolled into the room wearing a raccoon-sized suit of colourful Iron Man armor, painted the same shades of blue and orange as The Milano. “Yo, Stark, it’s a bit tight in the crotchatorial region,” he grumbled, his voice distorted by the electronics of the closed mask.

 

Bruce just laughed. “You think that’s bad, you should try wearing his pants sometime.” Gamora gave him a look and he shook his head.  “It’s a long story.”

 

“Sorry, pal. I didn’t realize you were hung like a Tasmanian wombat,” Tony joked.   “Never really got a good look, so I was just eyeballing it.”

 

“Oh, wow!” Parker exclaimed. “That suit is awesome!”

 

Tony preened a bit, then preened a bit more. “Yeah, I know, right?  He asked for the works, so that’s what he got.  All the bells and whistles.  Probably some actual bells and whistles.  I was up for 53 hours straight at one point, so that’s a strong possibility.”

 

Rogers’ baby blues were as big as dinner plates and his mouth was gaping open as he stared at the metal-clad creature. “Wha. . .wha . . . wha. . .?” he stammered.

 

Rocket retracted the faceplate and quipped, “Who’s the red, white, and blue party favour?”

 

Quill made the introductions this time. “Rocket, this is Captain Steve Rogers.”

 

Rocket removed his helmet, declared happily, “Oh, the twatwaffle,” and held out a gauntlet-covered paw in greeting.

 

From the side, Rhodey snickered.

 

Natasha just sighed in disgust. “Really, Stark?”

 

Tony put up his hands in defense. “I swear I have no idea where he heard that,” he insisted, all the while winking at Rocket.  “Must be some intergalactic term of endearment.” 

 

Seeing Tony’s wink--and recognizing it as a teaching moment--Quill told Rocket, “See, THAT’S how you do the thing.”

 

Rocket nodded. “Ahhhhh, okay, I got it now.”

 

“That. . .that’s a talking raccoon,” Rogers was finally able to spit out.

 

“Well, YOU have one, so Tony figured he’d get one of his own,” Rhodey replied, flippantly. Seeing Bucky’s icy glare, he added a quick, “Just kidding, Barnes.”

 

“It’s probably not wise to tease a former assassin, Rhodes,” Sam commented.

 

“It doesn’t stop us from teasing Gamora,” Quill said, flashing a wide smile at his teammate. “Right, Sweets?”

 

“Keep pushing your luck, Star-Lord, and not even Stark will be able save your Grade A Prime bacon,” Gamora replied, coolly.

 

“Actually, he’s a talking Rocket,” Tony corrected. “Do your research, Rogers.”  He gave a sheepish grin.  “Sorry, I really must stop with the ‘Sherlock’ references.”

 

“You keep promising we’ll watch that show,” Quill pointed out.

 

“I know, and we will,” Tony assured him. “You totally gotta see the lead actor.  He looks just like Strange.”

 

Strange flicked a piece of invisible lint off his thigh. “I’ve told you before, Stark, that man looks nothing like me.”

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Strange. . .I mean, Doctor. . .but he totally does,” Parker insisted.

 

Strange narrowed his eyes at the young man. “How would you like to visit those dinosaurs without a spaceship, Mr. Parker?” 

 

CoLe, the newly renamed Cloak of Levitation, flew in front of Parker and fluttered menacingly at its master. Strange shook his head and sighed, probably thinking it had been a mistake letting those two become friends.

 

“Well, there’s no time like the present, right?” Quill suggested. Frankly, he was sick of all the bickering and just wanted to curl up on the couch with Tony and forget about the other Avengers for the rest of the night.  Maybe the rest of the weekend.  Seriously, not even his own team fought this much, and that was saying something!

 

“Great idea,” Tony agreed, “if you know a way to pry ‘The Two Towers’ out of Groot’s cold, dead limbs.”

 

Groot, who was sitting out of sight and until that point had refrained from joining the discussion since he was still completely absorbed in his movie, stood up and said, “I am Groot.”

 

Tony let out a long-suffering sigh. “Yes, yes, I know. Treebeard is a wise and masterful sage and you wish to follow all his teachings.  You could still share the TV once in a while.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Well, yes, I do have one in the bedroom,” Tony responded, “but trust me, watching TV isn’t exactly a top priority in that room.”

 

Quill added a cheeky, “It doesn’t even crack the top ten.”

 

“You don’t have to tell us that,” Strange stated, sardonically.

 

“I’m really not that loud,” Tony protested.

 

“Keep telling yourself that, Buttercup,” Rhodey fired back, causing Quill to smirk.

 

Tony shook his head in amusement. “You know, I’d like to wipe that smirk off your face.”

 

Quill’s smirk grew. “I’d like that, too.”  Tony needed no further encouragement, wrapping his hand around Quill’s neck and pulling him in for a long lip-lock. 

 

Parker did an epic eye roll. “There they go again,” he groaned.

 

Rogers, meanwhile, still hadn’t recovered from this latest development. “That. . .that. . . that’s a talking tree!” he spluttered, pointing at Groot.

 

Quill pulled away from Tony’s lips long enough to say, “No, he’s a talking Groot, and he goes with the talking Rocket.”

 

“Maybe we should start calling you Captain Obvious,” Tony added.

 

From his seat, Bucky (who had plowed through his second slice of cake) snickered.

 

The sound caught Rocket’s attention and he noticed Bucky for the first time. “Hey, nice arm,” he commented offhandedly.

 

“NO!” all the Guardians and members of Team Tony yelled out simultaneously. Well, everyone except Groot, who had turned his attention back to the movie.

 

“What?” Rocket asked. “I was just looking at it.  Not like I’m gonna steal it or nothing.”  His words were ruined by the exaggerated wink he gave. . .using the wrong eye.

 

“DUDE! What is wrong with you!?!” Quill scolded.  “Tony literally just showed you how to do it!”

 

“Damn, I thought I got it right this time,” Rocket muttered.

 

Bucky looked at his arm, then looked at Rocket with narrowed eyes, and slowly began rising to his feet.

 

“Hey, hey, chill out Elsa,” Tony soothed, motioning him to sit back down. “He’s just joking.  I think.”

 

“You are such an ass," Rogers muttered under his breath.

 

“Language, Cap,” Tony reprimanded, sarcastically. “Oh, eat me, Stark,” Rogers snapped out.

 

Tony just patted Quill on the ass and grinned. “Sorry, Cap, but Star-Lord is the only one on my menu now.”

 

Beside him, Parker snickered.

 

“Nope, I’m still not buying it,” Clint cut in. “I mean, I don’t know how you did the raccoon thing, but you could have just bought one of those trees from that Hobbit director.”

 

Everyone just looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Tony broke the bad news. “Um, you DO know there were no actual walking trees in that movie, right?  It was all done with CGI and motion capture.”

 

“I did motion capture once,” Strange said. Tony gave him a side-eye; Strange shrugged his shoulders elegantly.  “Just stating a fact.”

 

Quill took advantage of the brief lull in the bickering to state their case. “Look, if everyone would just relax for a minute, I can explain everything.” 

 

“Good luck,” Rhodey muttered.

 

Five sets of eyes with matching skeptical looks focused on him, and he knew he didn’t have much time to make his point, so this one had to count. “Right.  Okay. So there’s this celestial being named Thanos.  Around the galaxy he’s known as the Mad Titan, and for good reason.  He’s totally insane, and he craves power.  A LOT of power.  He wants to rule the universe, and he’s been collecting the Infinity Stones to do it.  He needs two more, and they’re sitting right here in this room.”  Quill nodded over at Strange and Vision, who had quietly returned to the room shortly after Rocket’s grand entrance.  “My team and I came to earth for you.  All of you.  We can’t stop him alone.  We need your help.”

 

Not bad. And he didn’t even need the cheat notes he had tucked away in his back pocket. 

 

“The Mad Titan?” Rogers repeated, with a disbelieving tone.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Quill could see Gamora quietly fuming that Rogers wasn’t taking this seriously. He knew he didn’t have much time before she took matters into her own hands.  And while he was halfway tempted to let her, he also knew they were walking a fine line, and any misstep could be disastrous. 

 

“He has been tormenting the galaxy for centuries,” Quill said calmly, trying to keep things civil, aware he had to win this man over if he had any chance at the others. “You fought one of his armies in New York, and you’ve seen firsthand what just one of these stones can do on their own, so you can imagine their destructive power when they’re combined.  Thanos is two-thirds of the way there now.  He has already laid an entire planet to waste to get the Power Stone, and he’ll do no less to get the ones the Avengers are protecting.  At this point, it’s not a question of if he’ll attack Earth, it’s only a matter of when.  And if he gets your two stones, he’ll be unstoppable. The universe will be his and Earth will either be destroyed like Xandar or enslaved.  There’s no in-between, and there won’t be any bargaining with him.”  He looked pointedly over at Strange, who dropped his usual haughtiness and gave a small nod of understanding. 

 

Natasha noticed the exchange. “You’re on board with this, Stephen?” she asked. 

 

Strange leveled an intense gaze at Quill, and Quill felt as if the sorcerer could see down into his soul. Perhaps he could--the man was downright spooky.  “As fantastical as his claims seem to be, Ms. Romanoff, yes, I believe him.  Just because there are forces out there that you won’t acknowledge does not mean they don’t exist.” 

 

“It’s the culmination of everything Tony and Thor have been predicting for years,” Bruce noted. “It shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to you.”

 

Natasha regarded the men for a moment then said, “Perhaps we should contact T’Challa, and see what he thinks about all this.”

 

“Already contacted,” Tony replied. “He and Wakanda have vowed to stand with us, as will the Defenders.”

 

“Hope and Scott have also thrown their support behind us,” Rhodey informed them.

 

“What about the Fantastic Four?” Sam asked.

 

Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Unknown.  Reed’s not answering my emails.  Either he’s still pissed I beat him out for Sexiest Superhero five years running or they’re out of communication range.  I’m betting on the latter.”

 

“And Thor’s out right now with Wolverine trying to recruit the X-Men,” Bruce added.

“Or they’re getting drunk at a strip club--you never know with those two--so you better lay off the cake there, Buckingham,” Tony directed at Bucky, who was heading back to the buffet table.  “He’s gonna want some when he gets back.”

 

Rogers, who had been quietly stewing, suddenly exploded. “So basically we’re the last ones to hear about all this?  Again?” he accused.  “You just love keeping secrets from the team, don’t you, Stark?” Tony flinched, as if struck, and Quill wondered what could have caused such a reaction.  “It wasn’t a secret,” he explained between gritted teeth.  “You were away on a mission.  I didn’t want to interfere.”

 

“That’s a first,” Sam muttered.

 

“Actually, it was my suggestion we wait until you return,” Quill injected, trying to get the focus off Tony and back on Thanos, where it belonged. “I thought it’d be better to do all this face-to-face instead of over the phone.  Not one of my better ideas, apparently.”

 

“And you just do anything this guy says now?” Clint grumbled, pointing a finger at Quill. “He must be better in the sack than the rest of us.”

 

Quill had often heard the phrase ‘if looks could kill’. At that moment, he understood exactly what it meant.  The expression on Tony’s face was dark and dangerous and it was a wonder Clint was still standing.  Seeing how upset his lover was, he pressed a reassuring hand to the small of Tony’s back, though he doubted it was noticed.  “You are a world class asshole, Barton,” Tony spat out.

 

“Takes one to know one, Stark,” Clint shot back.

 

Okay, things were officially getting out of hand now. It was obvious they weren’t getting anywhere, and might even be making things worse.  Quill was just about to put an end to this so-called ‘meeting’ when Parker stepped forward, his boyish face a mask of pure rage.  “Hey!” he exclaimed.  “Don’t say things like that to Mr. Stark!”

 

“Peter, don’t. . .” Tony started to say, as Sam spoke at the same time.

 

“Pipe down, pipsqueak, or you won’t get a juice box tonight.”

 

“No one talks to Bug Boy that way!” Drax bellowed, quickly coming to Parker’s defense.

Parker groaned and mumbled, “It’s Spider-Man.” 

 

“Yeah, why don’t you asshats pick on someone your own size?!” Rocket jeered.

 

“I don’t have to take that from a talking ferret!” Clint retorted.

 

“Ferret?!” Rocket repeated indignantly, fists up and ready to charge. “Why you. . .!” 

 

Quill raced forward, barely managing to stop Rocket from attacking. “Everyone just calm down!” he shouted.  “Dammit, Tony, I know you said you were having problems with the in-laws, but this is ridiculous!”

 

“Can it, Luke Skywalker,” Sam snarked.

 

“He’s more the Han Solo type,” Tony corrected, “and if you’d just give him a chance, he can finish explaining the dire truth of the situation.”

 

“And you know so much about telling the truth, right Stark?” Clint sneered.

 

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and stated, “More than your esteemed leader, yeah.”

 

Rogers gave a disgusted snort. “This again, Stark?  Really?”

 

“Yes, because it always comes back to this, Rogers,” Tony answered, heatedly. “Because for a man who is so opposed to lies, you don’t seem to have a problem with them when they benefit you.”

 

Rogers’ jaw tightened. “I was trying to protect. . .”

 

“Bucky,” Tony finished for him. “I know. I heard you the first 1000 times.  But that doesn’t excuse what you did.”

 

Natasha rested her hands on her hips and sighed, “Let it go, Tony.”

 

Tony turned his attention to her. “Wow, that’s great advice,“ he replied, sarcastically.  “Why didn’t *I* think of that?  Oh, that’s right.  Because I had just watched a videotape of my parents being murdered.”

 

“And that gave you the right to attack us?” Rogers demanded.

 

Tony took a step forward towards Rogers. “How many times do I have to explain it to you?  I was blindsided and I was angry.  I had seconds to try to process not just a 20 year old misconception I held about their deaths but also the fact that a man I considered a good friend had lied to me about the truth of what happened.  So yeah, I struck out.  Sue me.  Any other person would have responded the same way.”

 

Rogers grimaced. “You honestly believe that?”

 

“I did,” Quill mumbled.

 

But nobody heard him. Now, there were just two people in the room, everything and everyone else having faded into the background.  This is what Tony and Rogers needed, a chance to get it all out, everything they had kept bottled up.  A chance to finally put it all to rest and move on to bigger and more important things.  (Why the hell had he left his Element Gun in his room??!)  

 

Tony took another step forward; Rogers held his ground, his stance battle ready. “For fuck’s sake, Rogers, you knew for TWO YEARS,” Tony shouted.  “You could have said something to me at any time.  Just sat me down and talked to me.  Like a goddamn friend!  Did you ever think that maybe--MAYBE--none of what happened would have happened if you had just fucking been honest with me?  I had a right to know!”

 

“And what would you have done with that information?” Rogers shot back. “Had him arrested?  Put on trial?  Thrown in prison? Or would you have just tried kill him sooner?”

 

Tony’s laugh was bitter and brittle. “You think I came at you two with my A-game? That I couldn’t have taken you out with a single repulsor blast?”  His voice dropped in volume and temperature.  “Trust me, if I had really wanted him dead, he would have been, and you both know it.” Quill looked over at Bucky--the man at the center of the fight.  He sat, still as a statue, only his eyes moving as he watched Tony and Rogers spar, much like a tennis match, but with more animosity, and much higher stakes. 

 

“You only failed because I stopped you,” Rogers insisted.

 

“You do realize that argument doesn’t make any sense, right?” Tony noted. “If you were honestly so scared of me and feared for your lives, why did you ever agree to rejoin the Avengers?  You guys were happy living in Wakanda with T’Challa.  Why did you come back to the Compound, knowing I was living here now?”

 

Rogers paused for a moment, frown on his face, nodding angrily. “You know, that’s a good question.  Maybe I should leave!”

 

“Guys, c’mon, let’s just settle. . .” Sam began, trying to mollify the two men but nobody was listening.

 

“Fine!” Tony exclaimed. “There’s the door!  Don’t let me stop you.”  Sweeping his arm around at the other Avengers, he added, “Anyone else want to join him?”

 

A small sniffle to his left drew Quill’s attention. He glanced over at Mantis, who had tears rolling down her cheeks.  The poor girl.  All the tension in the room must have been playing havoc with her empathic abilities.  Thankfully, Drax also noticed, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. 

 

“Cap goes, I go,” Clint announced. Jerking his chin at Gamora, he added a sarcastic, “You better watch out, sister.  You’re probably next on Stark’s menu.”

 

Okay, it seemed the guy WAS as stupid as he looked.

 

Gamora’s eyes flashed in anger as she growled, “And YOU better watch out or I’ll take that bow and shove it somewhere it was never intended to reside!”

 

Natasha crossed to Clint’s side. “You’ll have to go through me first,” she said, coolly.

 

With a flick of her wrist, Gamora’s sword appeared out of nowhere. “Acceptable.”

 

Bruce let out a startled squeak. He looked either scared to death, or extremely turned on. It was hard to tell.  Quill could sympathize--he’d had the same reaction to Gamora many times over the years.

 

The rest happened in the blink of an eye. Drax ripped off his bow tie and roared, “I shall help you dispatch these foes!”

 

Mantis desperately grabbed at his arm, sobbing, “Drax, no!”

 

“Don’t worry. . .I’ve got this,” Rocket declared, holding up his paws and powering up his repulsors.

 

CoLe wrapped itself around Parker’s hand and dragged him down behind one of the sofas.

 

Sam and Bucky rushed over to Rogers, flanking him on the right and the left, as Rogers braced his shield in front of them.

 

Rhodey leaped up from his seat to stand beside Tony, while Tony was ordering Bruce, “Don’t turn green!”

 

DUM-E rolled over to the group, his claw waving around frantically.

 

Strange rose gracefully to his feet, spread his arms wide and intoned, “Shades of the Seraphim!” and instantly, a protective bubble appeared and surrounded him, Vision, and Parker’s sofa.

 

Groot sprang up from his chair and charged across the room, yelling, “I.  AM.  GROOT!!!”

 

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA! ENOUGH!!” Quill shouted as he jumped between the two opposing groups, his hands held up in a ‘halt’ position.  “All of you!  Just stop it!  No one is killing anyone!”  Turning to his team, he demanded, “Right?”

 

With a disgruntled huff, Gamora retracted her sword. Drax nodded in understanding and dropped his fists; Mantis immediately grabbed his right hand and held on tight.  Rocket growled a non-verbal agreement and powered down his repulsors.  Groot bowed his head and mumbled, “I. Am. Groot.”

 

Quill let out a deep breath then turned to face Team Cap, who were still poised for a fight. Dropping his hands, he addressed their leader once more in as non-threatening manner as he could manage.  “Look, Rogers, I get it.  Some major shit went down with you guys.  And you have absolutely no reason to trust me or my team--” he looked away to call over his shoulder, “especially when they act like a bunch of blood-thirsty lunatics.”

 

He faced Captain Rogers once more. “But the fact is there’s something really bad up there, and like it or not, it’s coming here.  Now, you may be The Avengers, but I guarantee, you’re not ready for this.  Hell, we’ve saved the galaxy twice, and WE’RE not ready for it.  The only way to beat Thanos is if we all work together.  You don’t have to like each other--actually that seems like a pipe dream at the moment-- but there are some things bigger than you and me and, well, all of us.  And if you can’t put your differences aside, if you can’t pull everyone together to fight a fight that actually needs fighting, then fuck it, I’m taking my team. . .my FAMILY. . .and we’ll go try to find a planet to hide for as long as we can, because there’s no point staying here and dying for no reason.”

 

From behind him, Quill heard a distressed gasp. “Peter. . . ?” Tony whispered, his voice cracking on the name.

 

“And Tony’s coming with us,” Quill quickly added. It was a bluff, a total Hail Mary pass in the final seconds of the game, a desperate gambit that he hoped Tony understood and would play along. 

 

Everyone from Team Cap turned their attention away from Quill and looked at Tony, some in curiosity, some in anger. Quill hesitated a moment, unsure what Tony’s reaction to his unexpected announcement would be.  When he finally glanced over, Tony’s expression was one of disbelief.  “I am?” he asked, softly, hopefully.

 

And if that was Tony playing along, give the boy an Oscar, because he almost broke Quill’s heart. If Quill had got this wrong, he was going to owe Tony an apology later.  A lot of apologies.  A small smile pulled at his lips as he answered, “Yeah, of course.  If you want to.” 

 

And damn, he wished he meant it, because at that moment, all he wanted to do was scoop Tony up and hold him tight and take him away from all this insanity.  Let the other Avengers worry about Thanos--he’d spend his final days with Tony, dancing among the stars and making love on every new planet they encountered while the universe burned. 

 

Yes, it was selfish, but then, Peter Quill never claimed to be a good man.

 

Tony nodded, eagerly. “Yeah, yeah. . .I do.  I mean, I would.  But, ah,” he gripped Rhodey’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “I don’t go anywhere without my Rhodey.”

 

“Not a problem,” Quill assured him.

 

“And the kid,” Tony said.

 

Quill was expecting that one. “Sure.  There’s plenty of room.”

 

Parker’s head popped up from behind the sofa. “What about May?”

 

“And Aunt May?” Tony inquired.

 

“As long as she promises not to cook,” Quill joked.

 

“Don’t forget Bruce,” Gamora added. When everyone looked at her, she frowned and snapped, “What?”

 

Quill wasn’t sure if she understood he was only trying to con Rogers. If not, he was going to owe her a lot of apologies, too.  If she let him live long enough to say them, of course.

 

Tony gave Bruce a friendly slap on the back. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving my Brucie-bear behind. Think the Other Guy is up for another space adventure?”

 

Bruce flashed Gamora a gentle smile, and Quill noted the light flush of her cheeks. Oh, he was going to tease her mercilessly later on.  “I think he’s good with it.  And it’ll be nice to see Korg and Val again.”

 

“Val?” Gamora repeated.

 

“She’s just a friend, I swear,” Bruce explained. “You’ll like her.”

 

Gamora just quirked an eyebrow and murmured a skeptical, “Hmmm.”

 

“What about you, Stephen?” Quill asked with a playful grin. “I promise to keep my hands to myself, at least for the first few days.” Strange dropped his arms and the protective bubble melted away.  “As delightful as it all sounds, sadly, I must decline.  Someone needs to help Wong guard the Sanctum Sanctorium.  Besides, if the purpose of your departure is to avoid Thanos, it would be unwise to travel with an individual who carries one of the stones he seeks.  As long as I have the Eye, I would only put you all in danger.”

 

“Oh God, I hadn’t thought of that,” Tony whispered, almost as if to himself. He glanced over at Vision, who was standing silently behind Strange.  “Viz. . .?”

 

Vision bowed his head towards his creator and touched the yellow stone embedded in his brow. “I am afraid I must also stay behind for the same reason.  However, may I suggest you offer our places on The Milano to Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan, if they are agreeable?”

 

Tony looked up at Quill, who had made his way back to Tony’s side while Vision was speaking. “Is that okay?” he asked.

 

“Absolutely,” Quill replied, caressing Tony’s cheek tenderly. “Your entire family is welcomed to come with us.” 

 

Tony looked over at the other Avengers, then dipped his eyes away uncomfortably.

 

“I thought you said there wouldn’t be a place to hide?” Natasha pointed out.

 

“There won’t be,” Gamora replied harshly. “We’ll probably all die anyway, but at least we’ll be fighting to defend ourselves and not a bunch of annoying ingrates!”

 

Natasha pursed her lips in disapproval but didn’t respond.

 

“So that’s it, Stark?” Clint scoffed. “You just cut and run?  Take off and save your own ass?”

 

“You make it sound like you’re giving me a choice, Barton,” Tony fired back. “You’d do the same thing in my shoes.” 

 

“What happened to avenging the world?” Rogers asked as he lowered his shield. “We fight as a team, die as a team, remember?”

 

Tony crossed his arms defensively over his chest. “If we were still a team that would actually mean something.”

 

“And whose fault is that?” Rogers challenged.

 

“Gee, I don’t know,” Tony replied, sarcastically. “Let’s get the UN on the line and ask them, Mr. I Know Better Than 117 Countries.”

 

Rogers shook his head and sighed. “You never change, Stark.”

 

Tony just smirked. “Pot, meet kettle.”

 

“I don’t see any pots,” Drax mumbled, as he looked around the room with a puzzled expression on his face. “Or kettles.”

 

“Tony, c’mon man, this isn’t you,” Sam asserted. “You never ran away from a fight before.”

 

“You think this is what I want, Sam?” Tony asked, all trace of sarcasm gone. “I have done everything in my power to prepare for this attack, hoping I could prevent it from happening.  For years it’s all I could think about, worry about, obsess about.  I lost Pepper over it.  I almost lost my mind over it.  But none of you cared.”

 

Tony paused, taking a deep breath, as Team Cap looked uneasily at each other, and Team Tony just looked angry. Quill wondered if he should cut in and try to present their case once again, when Tony fixed his gaze on his estranged teammates, a gaze full of determination and sadness.  “All of you go around thinking I only fight for myself, but I was fighting for US, for you.  Because I saw what could happen, saw the coldest world imaginable.  A world without the Avengers, without my friends.” His voice cracked on the word, but he kept going, powering through what he needed to say.  “And even after all that, I lost you anyway.  So if you can’t get on board with this, if you won’t fight beside the Guardians, then you leave me no choice. I have to do what’s best for the people I care about.  And if that means leaving this planet to keep them safe, then so be it.”

 

“That used to include us, Tony,” Natasha said softly.

 

Tony looked away guiltily, anguish written across his face. Quill grasped his hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. The Avengers apparently knew how to press Tony’s buttons as efficiently as Parker, but he couldn’t give in now. As much as Quill just wanted to whisk Tony away from this place and these people, the truth was they needed Rogers and his team if they had any chance to beat Thanos.  

 

Rocket, thankfully, came to the rescue. “Your team is looking a bit thin there, Rogers,” he observed nonchalantly, with a cocky little tilt of his head.

 

“Certainly not one that would defeat Thanos and his army,” Gamora noted.

 

“You could not even defeat his advance guards,” Drax added.

 

“There is no way you will win this war,” Mantis predicted, her voice soft as tears shimmered in her eyes.

 

“I am Groot.” The Guardians, as well as Tony, all seemed to deflate at the simple, somber sentence.

 

“What did he say?” Sam asked.

 

There was a beat before Tony replied, “He said, ‘Terra will fall, and the rest will follow’.”

 

“ ‘The rest’?” Natasha repeated.

 

Drax nodded gravely. “The other planets.” “Terra is the last stand,” Rocket stated.

 

“If Thanos conquers Terra--Earth--it will be the end of everything,” Gamora explained. “That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you.”

 

“And you decided the best way to bring us around to your side was threatening to abandon us if we don’t join you?” Rogers asked, sarcastically.   “Blackmail never seemed your style, Stark.”

 

“This isn’t Tony‘s call, it’s mine,” Quill refuted. “And it’s not blackmail, it’s a promise.  I want--” he wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist and pull him close, “I NEED--to protect the people I love.  I would think you’d want to do the same.”

 

No one moved or said anything for a long moment. All the cards were on the table.  Tony and Quill had given it their best shot, had laid out their argument for ending the conflict among the Avengers.  The ball was in Team Cap’s court.  But as the seconds passed without any response from their leader, it became obvious they had failed in their mission. 

 

Finally, Tony released a resigned sigh and put his hand on Rocket’s tiny shoulder. “C’mon, RJ--let’s see if we can fix that suit.  I’ve got a feeling you're gonna need it.”  They started heading out of the room when Bucky suddenly stepped forward, blocking their way.  

 

“What the. . .?” Rocket started to say but never got to finish his sentence.

 

“I’m in,” Bucky stated, decisively.

 

“What?” Tony asked, clearly confused.

 

“WHAT?!?” Rogers repeated louder, even more confused.

 

“I wanna be on the team,” Bucky clarified.

 

“Déjà vu,” Bruce muttered under his breath.

 

Bucky just ignored him, directing his words to Tony. “Look, I wasn’t there in New York, so I don’t really know what you were up against.  And I don’t know fuck all what’s going on here, but if there’s the slightest possibility this guy is right,” he pointed at Quill with his metal arm, “and we can stop this from happening, then there’s no debate.” Rogers didn’t seem to agree, as he tried to cut in, “Bucky, you can‘t just decide. . .”

 

“Yes, I can,” he corrected, glancing over at his friend. “I didn’t have a choice with HYDRA, but I have a choice now, and I choose to fight for Earth.”  He turned his gaze back to Tony.  “I’ve done a lot of bad stuff in my life and while I’m sorry about it, I can’t change it.  This is my chance to try to make up for some of the pain I’ve caused and do something good.  A chance to help people instead of hurt them.”  Turning to face Rogers once more, he added, “Are ya’ gonna join me, Stevie?”

 

“Stevie,” Rhodey snickered. Bucky just glared at him.

 

Rogers’ blushed as he muttered, “You promised you’d never call me that in public.”

 

“Now see, THAT’S blackmail material,” Tony pointed out with just a hint of a grin. “And you didn’t answer his question, Rogers.”

 

“This is a bad idea, Buck,” Rogers said, warily. “We have no idea what their agenda is.”

 

“Our agenda is to save the universe,” Quill replied. “I didn’t know there was a different one.”

 

“To keep my friend safe,” Rogers countered. “Isn’t that what you said?”

 

Bucky just sighed in frustration. “Steve, this new age Cold War between you and Stark has gone on long enough.  You can’t keep hiding behind me because you don’t wanna deal with it.”

 

“I’m just trying to protect you,” Rogers argued.

 

“In case you haven’t noticed, I can take care of myself,” Bucky argued back. “Just fix this, you two.  Before it’s too late.”

 

Rogers shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

 

“Actually, it kinda is,” Sam stated. “You just have to make a move.”

 

“If T’Challa has signed on, we should at least hear them out,” Natasha commented. “What can it hurt?”

 

It was obvious from the look on his face Rogers was weakening, but wasn’t ready to give up. “We’re seriously outnumbered here, guys.”

 

Bruce took a tentative step forward towards Team Cap, his hands up and open in front of him, almost in surrender; Quill admired his bravery and his tact. “No one is being outnumbered, Steve,” he said, calmly.  “We’re all on the same side.” 

 

"We've always been on the same side,” Rhodey added. “The side of the people.  That never changed.”

 

“The Avengers Initiative, remember?” Tony quoted. “Putting together a group of remarkable people to fight the battles others couldn‘t?”

 

“It's the reason I wanted to join the Avengers,” Parker said, as he stood up from behind the sofa and went to stand with Tony and Rocket. “To help protect the little guy.  Mr. Stark, stop it!” he squeaked, as Tony ruffled his hair affectionately.

 

Rogers shoulders sagged as he let out a low sigh. “And just how do you propose we resolve this?” he asked, reluctantly.

 

“Dance-off?” Quill offered. Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy, well, except for Gamora, who was rolling her eyes in exasperation.  “It was just a suggestion,” he muttered, with a shrug.

 

Natasha’s mouth did a funny little thing that might have been a smile but Quill couldn’t be sure. “As entertaining as that would be, I think maybe something more diplomatic--like actually talking to each other-- might be a better solution.” Tony chuckled uneasily.  “We don’t really have a great track record with communicating that doesn’t involve threats and our fists.”

 

“That’s for sure,” Bucky agreed.

 

Suddenly, an unexpected voice piped up. “Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” Mantis said, as she shyly stepped forward.  “Perhaps I may be able to help?  My skills are quite useful in stressful situations.”

 

“ ‘Stressful’ might be an understatement,” Sam quipped.

 

“A mediator couldn’t hurt,” Bruce pointed out. Rogers looked skeptical.  “She’s not exactly impartial though.”

 

“Seriously, Rogers?” Rhodey grumbled.

 

“No, he’s right,” Tony concurred. “Each side should have representation, someone in their corner.”  Pointing at Rogers, he instructed, “You pick someone, too.”

 

Predictably, he looked over at Bucky.  “Bu. . .”

 

He never even got to say the man’s name before Bucky cut him off. “Steve, I’m the reason things are so fucked up in the first place, remember?  Think with your head and not your heart this time.”  Nodding at the man standing next to Rogers, he added, “Besides, Sam’s the one with all the counseling experience, right?”

 

Sam narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Wait.  Did you just say something NICE about me?”

 

Bucky waved him off. “It’s been a long day.  Don’t let it go to your head.”

 

Rogers turned to his teammate. “Sam?  You good with this?”

 

Sam nodded. “Yeah, I am.  In fact, I think it’s long overdue.”

 

“We all do,” Natasha said, sincerely.

 

Quill watched as Rogers handed his shield to Bruce, who looked surprised to be given such a peace offering. He then pulled his shoulders back, standing straight and tall, and announced, “Okay, let’s do this.”

 

Tony gestured to the elevator, “After you.” Rogers started walking away, with Sam and Mantis at his heels.  Tony was just about to follow them when he suddenly stopped and raced back over Quill.  “Keep Rocket away from Bucky,” he implored.  “I don’t want to replace that arm again.”

 

“No worries,” Quill promised.

 

Tony pressed a quick kiss to Quill’s mouth. “And thanks.  For everything.”

 

Quill flashed what he hoped was a roguish leer. “You can pay me back later.”

 

“Lacy panties,” Tony replied. “Got it.”  With another kiss, he hurried off after Rogers and the others.

 

Quill watched him go, warmth flooding chest. The feeling of hope that maybe things were going to work out after all.  Because that’s all it was--hope.  Nothing else.  It definitely wasn’t anything more than that.  And it certainly wasn’t something ridiculous like he was falling for Stark.  No way.  Not happening.  Right?

 

Right.

 

Strange, who had reclaimed his seat, and was once more sipping at his never ending cup of tea, drawled, “You can imagine the Christmas dinners. Dammit, Stark, now you’ve got ME doing it!”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

After an hour or so, Tony and Steve decided to take a break. While it hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing, they did manage to break the ice and actually talk civilly more in those few minutes than they had in the past three years, which was both an achievement and a miracle.  They probably should have continued since they were on a roll, but Steve hadn’t eaten dinner yet--and Sam’s slice of cake wasn’t really cutting it for him--so they declared a tentative truce and went in search of food. 

 

Tony took the opportunity to hunt down Quill. He eventually found him standing on the balcony which surrounded the Common Room, looking up at the night sky.  Walking up behind the distracted man, he placed his hands on Quill’s hips and rested his chin on Quill’s shoulder.  It was still fascinating working out the dynamics of having a boyfriend who was so much taller than him--not that he was complaining.  “Hey.”

 

Quill turned his head and kissed Tony’s cheek. “Hey, babe,” he answered, before returning his attention back to the sky.

 

Tony looked up, following Quill’s gaze, and understood the other man’s fascination. It was a perfectly clear night, with a large full moon and countless stars dotting the dark sky.  Tony wasn’t a big fan of star-gazing anymore, not since the events of New York.  But with no other buildings around for miles, the Compound offered an open, unobstructed view, and frankly, it was pretty awesome.  “It’s so calm,” he said, softly.  “So beautiful.  It’s hard to believe the evil that’s lurking up there, unseen.”

 

“Yeah, there’s a lot of evil out there,” Quill agreed. “But there’s a lot of good things, too.”  He looked over at Tony, a warm smile lighting up his face.  “I want to show them to you.”

 

That smile did funny things to Tony, and he worried once again that he was falling too hard, and too fast, for this mysterious man from the stars. But then he figured, what the hell?  They probably only had a few more weeks left to live anyway.  Might as well enjoy the ride as long as it lasted.  “And I want to see them.  But until then, they’re ordering pizza.” “Pizza?” Quill repeated, incredulously.  “What happened to all the food left over from the party?!”

 

“Yeah, you obviously haven’t seen what a couple of super-soldiers can put away when they’re hungry. Do you have any topping requests?”

 

“Anything but ham and pineapple,” Quill said, nose wrinkled in disgust. “That’s an abomination.”

 

“I knew there was a reason I liked you, Star-Lord,” Tony replied with a grin. “Well, besides that thing you can do with your tongue.  Seriously, that should be against the law.”

 

Quill gave Tony a wide grin. “In 17 star systems, it is.”

_Those dimples should be against the law, too,_ Tony thought, but kept it to himself. He shifted his body slightly so Quill could wrap an arm around his waist, and he could rest his head against Quill’s broad chest.  He stood, content to listen to Quill’s even breathing as they looked up at night sky.  “You miss it,” he said, knowingly.

 

“A bit.” Quill nuzzled playfully at Tony’s hair.  “But the view’s kinda nice down here, too.”

 

“Does that line actually ever work?”

 

“You’d be surprised.” They fell silent for a few moments until Quill spoke again.  “You know, when I was a kid, I used to dream about going to the moon.  I had seen a film about the Apollo landing in school and I thought it looked like the coolest thing ever.”

 

“And did you get there? When you were traveling?”

 

“Mm-hmm. Major disappointment.  It was just a big rock.  Now Waititi, the third moon of Taika?  THAT one is something special.  All breathtaking landscapes and majestic waterfalls, flashy and exotic and outrageous.  The beaches are covered in this deep blue shimmering sand, and the night sky is filled with all these sparkling coloured stars, like fireworks going off in the Aurora Borealis.”  

 

“Blue sand?” Tony repeated, intrigued. “Yeah.  It’s actually crushed up sapphires, fine as baby powder.  Can you imagine?  I could bring a jar of it back to earth and be a millionaire.  But there, it’s just sand.  Weird, huh?”

 

Quill’s voice kept getting more excited and animated as he talked, and Tony couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Weird and amazing.”

 

He felt Quill press a kiss to the top of his head. “When all this is over, I’ll take you there, and we’ll make love in the blue sand under the stars.” 

 

Damn, that sounded, well, pretty fucking perfect, actually. There wasn’t a single thing Tony could think of that would make it any more perfect.  If only they didn’t have to worry about a murderous psychotic alien who wanted to wipe out all life in the universe.  That was definitely a problem. 

 

Tony just huffed a sad, little laugh, which earned him a confused look. “What’s so funny?”  Quill asked.

 

“Not funny, it’s just. . .” Tony paused, unsure if he should speak aloud the doubts filling in his mind, or if he should just shut up and enjoy the moment. 

 

“Just?” Quill gently prompted.

 

Tony sighed. No rest for the wicked, apparently.  “Just. . .you,” he finally said.  “You’re making all these plans for the future--wanting to show me the stars, promising to take Parker to look at space dinosaurs.  It’s like you think we actually have a chance to win this war.”

 

“Of course we’ll win,” Quill declared confidently, as if any other answer was utterly ridiculous. “The Guardians took down Ronan the Accuser with only 12 percent of a plan, and that was without the Avengers on our side.  Together?  Thanos doesn’t stand a chance.”  He nodded towards the Common Room where various members of both teams were gathered in little groups.  “How are things going in there?” “Well, Gamora hasn’t killed anyone yet,” Tony replied. “Night’s still young.”

 

Tony chuckled. “True, especially with the way Natasha keeps glaring at her and Bruce.  It’s always a bit tense when the ex meets the new girlfriend.”

 

“Been there, done that,” Quill grabbed the neckline of his tee shirt with his left hand and pulled it down to show off his collarbone, “got the scar to prove it.”

 

“I’ve been wondering about that.”

 

“Friendly tip: never piss off a Kree girl.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tony said, pressing a kiss to the wound before Quill released the material. “You know, I’m still not over her stepping in and defending my honour earlier.”

 

“Gamora’s grown quite fond of you. She just hides it very well,” Quill informed him. 

 

“I guess that means my spleen is safe,” Tony joked.

 

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

 

They both laughed softly for a moment, and shared a lighthearted kiss. “Your whole team. . .they all had my back in there.”

 

Quill gave Tony a tender smile and said, simply, “That’s what family does, right?”

 

Family. That’s all Tony had ever wanted--the lonely boy inside of him that never stopped wanting to belong and be loved.  He thought he had found it with the Avengers, but he had thought wrong.  And what was worse is knowing they had been a family that had abandoned him not through death but by choice.

 

He had carried that anger and hurt these past few years, which showed itself in endless defensive squabbling instead of addressing the actual issues--unable to process it, unable to deal with it, unable to WANT to deal with it. But within the calm atmosphere produced by Mantis’ presence, he began to understand that bridges could be formed, friendships could be mended, and the most important truth: no matter what the eventual outcome with the other Avengers might be, he wasn’t really alone.  He had Rhodey, the brother he always wanted.  And Parker, the son he probably would never have.  And Bruce, the best friend a man could hope for.  Plus Happy and Pepper, and even Vision, in his odd way. 

 

And now, apparently, a gang of aliens from the stars had adopted him without him even noticing it. He shook his head and chuckled at the absurdity of it.  “Right.”

 

“And they’re not just my team anymore,” Quill pointed out. “The Avengers and The Guardians--they belong to both of us now.”

 

“Then we need a new team name,” Tony announced. “The Avardians?  The Guarvengers?”

 

“How about The StarkQuill Bunch?” Quill suggested.

 

“Sounds like a bad sitcom.”

 

“Not far off.”

 

“Maybe we should let Thor handle it,” Tony mused aloud. “He’s good with naming things.” “Well, I still like it,” Quill insisted.

 

“Then you should put it on a tee-shirt.”

 

“Maybe I will. And this time I’Il get the right size.”  He looked down at how tightly the shirt pulled across his chest, then gave a pointed smirk at Tony.

 

“Hey, where’s the fun in that?” Tony joked back. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it, baby.”

 

“Okay.” Quill leaned down and pressed a playful kiss to Tony’s lips.  Tony, however, had other plans, as he wrapped his hand around Quill’s neck and licked into his mouth, deepening the kiss.  Quill gave a low moan as he went with the flow, and Tony decided that kissing Quill under the stars was quickly becoming one of his favourite things ever. 

 

But like all good things, it eventually came to an end, as Quill reluctantly broke away for air. Tony wasn’t done, however, nuzzling Quill’s neck.  “Gotta say, that was a helluva speech you gave earlier,” he murmured against warm skin. 

 

Quill sighed softly under Tony’s skillful ministrations. “Well,  I’ve had practice.  There were times I had to whip the others into shape, and Gamora frowns on actual whips for some reason.”  Tony gave an unexpected nip to a spot he had learned Quill found quite sensitive, causing the man to squeak and Tony to grin.  “Be good,” Quill admonished.

 

“Aren‘t I always?” Tony teased.

 

“Mmmm. . .very good. So did the speech work?  You and Rogers make any progress?”

 

Tony placed a final kiss to Quill’s jaw and pulled back until he could look into those amazing green eyes and not immediately want to get back to the kissing; it took a couple of moments. “Yeah, a bit.  We’ve still got a long way to go, obviously, but at least we’re talking again.  Mantis was a big help.  She managed to defuse the situation a couple of times when things got too heated.  I was a little uncertain about her powers--not really a big fan of people messing around with my mind and stuff--but she was gentle, respectful.  I’m glad she was there.”

 

“I know what you mean,” Quill said.   “Mantis has helped us out more times than I can count.  Her skills come in handy, especially with my crew.  She’s become very dear to all of us.”

 

“He even apologized to me at one point,” Tony confided. “Still not sure what to think of the great Captain America admitting he was actually wrong.”

 

“Wow!” Quill exclaimed, jokingly. “Mantis is more powerful than I thought!”

 

“She told me she had nothing to do with it, which makes it even more remarkable.”

 

“Did you accept it?”

 

Tony nodded. “Yeah.  And I may have apologized, too.  It’s what a mature individual would do, right?  Can’t have Parker showing up his old man.”

 

“He’d never let you live it down.” Quill pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek.  “I’m proud of you.  I know tonight wasn’t easy.”

 

“But it should have been,“ Tony countered. “We were friends.  How did it go so wrong?“

 

“Thin line between love and hate, right? That’s what they say?“

 

“But I never hated them.”

 

“That just makes the pain worse.”

 

Tony grinned. “Are all starmen from Missouri as wise as you?”

 

“No. They’re not as good looking, either.”

 

“Guess I lucked out then.” Tony rested his head once more against Quill’s chest as he gazed up at the star-studded sky.  For years he thought he knew what was up there, what horrors were lurking, just waiting for the right moment to strike again.  To find out he was wrong--that it was even worse than his worst nightmares--frightened him to his core.  He could feel the panic building within him and took a deep, meditative breath, then another.  Finally, he felt calm enough to speak.  “Peter, I need you to do something for me,” he said, his tone quiet and serious. 

 

Quill chuckled nervously at that. “Oh boy, no pet name.  This can’t be good.”

 

Another deep breath. This had to be said.  “If something happens to me. . .”

 

Quill tried to interrupt him. “Tony, nothing will hap. . .”

 

But Tony cut him off, repeating more firmly, “If something happens to me. . .” Deep breath.  He had to get this out.  It was the most important thing on his mind, and he needed to voice it, needed Quill to hear it.  “I want you to protect Parker.  Whatever it takes.  Just keep him safe and get him home to May.”  He turned his gaze back to Quill.  “Please.  Promise me.”

 

“Of course,” Quill quickly assured him. “You have my word.” 

 

Tears of gratitude welled up in Tony’s eyes. Deep down, he knew the promise was probably an empty one.  There was no way that all of them were walking away from this battle, but Quill’s heartfelt declaration touched him.  “Thank you.”

 

Quill placed his finger under Tony’s chin and tilted his head up, pressing a kiss to his furrowed brow. “I can get him away from here, you know,” he said, softly.  “Him and May.  Pepper and Happy, and anyone else you want.  I’m still friends with some of the Ravagers.  One call to Kraglin and he’ll take care of it.  We can hide them until this is all over.”

 

Tony shook his head and chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.  Pepper and Happy are too loyal for their own good.  They’d never leave if they thought I was in danger.  And Parker. . .”  Tony gave a resigned sigh.  “He wants to fight the good fight.  I can’t get him to stop.  Believe me, I’ve tried.  The only thing I can do is make him as safe as possible.”

 

“He’s a good kid,” Quill stated, simply.

 

“He’s the best of all of us,” Tony said, his voice trembling. A couple of tears escaped and slid down his cheeks, which he angrily wiped away.  “Goddammit, he doesn‘t deserve any of this.  He should be worried about final exams and getting into a good college and trying to get off with the head cheerleader--or whatever the nerd version of a head cheerleader is.  He shouldn’t be preparing for an intergalactic showdown with an insane super-being.  It’s not fair.” 

 

“No, it’s not,” Quill agreed, “but it’s what we signed up for.”

 

“Speak for yourself, Quill. *I* didn‘t sign up for this shit.”  Tony took a moment to swallow down his anger and fear and melancholy.  There was no time for any of that now.  Things needed to get done.  “I, um. . .I should probably go over his Iron Spider suit.  There are some modifications I’ve been working on.”

 

“You’ve got time,” Quill said. “Thanos can’t do anything without those final stones, and I don’t see Strange and Vision handing them over without a fight.”  He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Tony’s mouth.  “When he comes, we’ll be ready.  And he won’t know what hit him.”

 

“You have a lot of faith in us,” Tony noted.

 

“That’s because we’re fucking awesome.”

 

Tony wished he could share Quill’s positive attitude. “I just hope we can get everyone on board.  There’s a lot of bad blood, and it’s not just between me and Cap, in case you missed it.”

 

Quill gave him a comforting hug. “It might not be as bad as you think.  We’ve already got Bucky on our side, right?  And while you were busy with Rogers, we talked with Clint and Agent Romanoff.” “Did Groot behave himself?”

 

“Surprisingly, yes, although it’s probably a good thing she didn’t understand what ‘I am Groot?’ meant.”

 

Tony laughed at that. “Yeah, that probably could have gotten ugly.  So did you have any luck with our dynamic spy duo?”

 

“She seemed pretty receptive to what we were saying. He might be a tougher sell.”

 

“That’s not a surprise,” Tony said. “There’s still some bitterness there over his stint on The Raft, as if I had any influence over that.  I’ll get Strange to sit down with him--Barton seems to like him for some reason.  Must be that whole circus magician vibe thing.”

 

“And since Wanda hasn’t come down from her room, we didn’t get a chance to talk to her, so we don’t know where she stands.”

 

“Well, she’s close to Barton and Cap, but she’s even closer to Vision. I’m pretty sure she’ll follow his lead.”

 

“Will Bruce be okay with her on the team?” Quill asked, cautiously.

 

“Don’t worry about that--I’ll work on Bruce.”

 

Quill just smirked. “I’m sure you would, but I doubt Gamora will allow it.  She doesn’t share her toys.”

 

Shit. Tony had walked right into that one.  He had meant to tell Quill about all that, he just hadn’t gotten around to it.  Oh, well.  No time like the present.  “Yeah, um. . .” he chuckled, nervously, “about what Barton said earlier. . .”

 

“Don’t,” Quill said, softly.

 

“I warned you there were things about me that weren’t pretty, and that’s not even close to the worst of it.”

 

“And I said I didn’t care,” Quill insisted.

 

“I swear I’m not that man anymore. I mean, okay, I had you naked and in my bed ten minutes after meeting you but in my defense, have you looked in a mirror lately?”

 

Quill smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.  And if you recall, I didn’t run screaming from the room.  I wouldn’t have been there if I didn’t want to be.”  He gently brushed his fingers along Tony’s cheek.  “Don’t put me on a pedestal, Tony.  I’m not better than you.  I’ve done a lot of really regrettable things in my life.  And while I’m being completely honest, I probably would’ve tapped half your team, too,” which got a weak laugh from Tony.  “We’re really not all that different, babe.” 

 

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Tony wondered.

 

Quill shrugged his shoulders. “Little bit of both, I think. Let’s call it an ‘us’ thing.”

 

An ‘us’ thing. How had this happened?  How had Tony managed to find someone who was brave and kind and funny and stupidly hot?  Someone who was understanding, who didn’t judge, who took all of his flaws in stride and still actually *liked* him?   Someone who GOT him? 

 

How had he gotten so lucky? And how long would it take Fate to realize it had made a mistake and take Quill away from him?

 

Uh-uh. He wasn’t going to think things like that right now.  Not when he was standing under the stars with a super sexy spaceman.  He snuggled in close, resting his head once more on Quill’s chest.  “Speaking of ‘us’. . .are we gonna talk about what you said in there?”

 

“Nope,” Quill answered decisively, popping the ‘p’ as he did.

 

Tony just smirked up at him. “Something about protecting the people you lov. . .?” Quill quickly jumped in before he could finish the sentence.  “Dude, it’s only been two weeks!” he exclaimed.  “I’m not buying you a ring yet!” 

 

Tony pretended his heart didn’t skip a beat at the ‘yet’, pretended that such a silly little word didn’t fill him with happiness and hope, and instead went for the easy joke. “That’s good because I’m not really a ring kind of guy.  Unless we’re talking cock-rings.”

 

Quill laughed, just as Tony intended. “You just had to go and make it weird.”

 

“It’s kind of what I do best.”

 

“Don’t sell yourself short, babe,” Quill murmured, leaning down for a kiss that quickly turned intense and passionate. “See?  You do that pretty good, too.”

 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Tony returned, a bit breathlessly. Damn, Quill was good at that.  He’d really miss those kisses if the man ever went away, which reminded him.  “I gotta ask--you were bluffing earlier, right?  About leaving?”

 

Quill paused a moment, probably confused by the non sequitur, then nodded. “Yeah.  Of course.  And it worked.  Good job playing along--you even had me fooled a couple of times.”

 

“You should catch my act at the poker table, though I’ll admit I was thrown off when you asked me to go with you.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence, then Quill confessed, “That invitation was real.”

 

“Oh,” Tony replied in surprise, feeling stupid that he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

 

“As soon as I said it, I knew it was the truth,” Quill explained. “I didn’t want to leave without you.” 

 

“Oh,” Tony said again, wishing his brain would come back online.

 

“I mean, look, Tony . . .I don’t exactly know what ‘this’ is--” Quill made the universal sign for ‘you, me, your body, my body, general sex acts and maybe some affection’ at the two of them. “--between us.  It’s all kind of new to me.  But I think I’d like to see where it goes.”

 

“Oh,” Tony said once more, and _seriously, brain, you can jump in any time at all now._

 

“Would, ah, would you have come with us?” Quill asked, sounding more and more unsure. “You know, if it hadn’t been a ruse?”

 

 _Yes, yes, a thousand times yes,_ Tony wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. In a perfect world, he would have happily flown off with Quill and traveled the galaxy.  But unfortunately, the world wasn’t perfect, and without sounding conceited, it needed him.

Or rather, it needed Iron Man.

 

Sometimes being a superhero really sucked.

 

Tony shook his head sadly, and watched in dismay as Quill’s face fell. “It’s not you,” he quickly reassured.  “There is honestly nothing I’d rather do.  But my place is here, protecting my home and its people the best I can.  If I can’t defend the earth, I’ll avenge it.  It’s kind of in the job description.”

 

“And you do your job well.”

 

Tony chuckled uneasily. “That’s debatable.”

 

“Well, there are a few million New Yorkers who would agree with me.” Quill cupped Tony’s face in his broad hands, and Tony felt he could get lost in those deep green eyes.  “When the time comes, I want you to know, it’ll be an honour to fight by your side, Iron Man.”

 

And for the first time since those damn Chitauri warships had flown through that wormhole, Tony let himself believe that maybe--maybe--things were going to be okay. “The honour will be mine, Star-Lord,” he replied, and they sealed their pledge with a kiss.  Of course.   Because Tony couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of kissing Peter Quill.

 

As the kiss drew to an end, Quill rested his forehead against Tony’s and whispered, “You know, we never did get to finish our dance.” Taking a step backwards, he held his hand out in invitation. 

 

Tony took it with a smile. “I get to lead this time.”

Quill just smirked.  “Maybe.”

 

As they moved into position, Tony called out, “Power it up, FRIDAY.”

 

“I am your AI, not a jukebox,” FRIDAY replied rather sarcastically for a computer.

 

Tony just laughed. “Shouldn’t have let her watch ‘Sherlock’.”

 

“Has everybody seen that show but me?”

 

“I promise. Tonight.  After this dance.”  Tilting his head, he called out again, “FRIDAY?  Please?  For me, baby?”

 

“Only for you, Boss.” A moment later, the opening notes of Marvin Gaye’s, ‘Let’s Get it On’ floated through the air, and they began to dance.

 

“Classic,” Quill said, allowing Tony to take the lead. “Your girl has good taste.”

 

“Naturally,“ Tony replied a bit smugly. “I programmed her, after all.” 

 

As the song played, their movements got slower, more sensual, until they were just swaying more than actually dancing. Quill’s face was buried against Tony’s neck, murmuring the words against Tony’s skin and causing chills to run down Tony’s spine.  “This song is giving me ideas,” Tony mumbled. 

 

“Mmmm, me too,” Quill purred, tipping his head so he could press a kiss to Tony’s lips. “I want to do bad things to you.”

 

Tony groaned at that, missing the next step, and trodding on Quill’s foot instead. “We probably have about 30 minutes before the pizza arrives.”

 

Quill slid his hands down Tony’s back and cupped his ass. “I can do a lot of bad in 30 minutes,” he promised, as he rocked his hips into Tony’s.  “You get the panties, I’ll get the silk scarves.”

 

“You got it, stud!”

 

With that, Quill grabbed Tony’s hand and they half-walked, half-ran back to their room, giggling along the way. In their haste, they didn’t notice the other couple dancing in the shadows.  Gamora laughed as Bruce twirled her, the joyful sound mingling with the music and the night.

 

THE END

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR’S NOTES: Thank you to everyone for all the kinds words about my stories in this series, and suggestions for this sequel. I tried to work in as many ideas (and characters) as possible. I apologize if your favourite didn’t make the cut. I’m especially sorry that Thor wasn’t included. I wrote most of the dialog for this story before “Thor: Ragnarok” was released, and I couldn’t squeeze him in without ruining the flow of it.


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